


Hidden Souls

by Howlingdawn



Series: Hidden Infinity [2]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, DO YOU NEED HEALING AFTER THE A4 TRAILER?, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Heavy Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), SO HERE HAVE A FIC THAT PROVIDES IT, as i figure out what the heck is gonna happen, because i do - Freeform, but it's gonna get so much worse before it gets better, i have an outline but those are half useless, sorry about that, there are so many more characters and relationships but i am too lazy to tag them all right now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-05-14 04:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 49,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14762975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/pseuds/Howlingdawn
Summary: The heroes lost. Thanos won. He snapped his fingers, and half of the universe, including Loki and Peter Parker, dissolved, leaving a grieving few behind. But... there's still hope. Hope for all. If they can find the strength to fight for it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before I get started, if you haven't read Hidden Heartbeat, I highly recommend you read that first. Seriously.
> 
> And now, hiya HH readers! I didn't actually write that other thing I was supposed to write before doing this, so I might have to take a break in the middle of this, but this fic would not let me go. And it'll easily be my longest fic ever (I have zero idea how the Russos are gonna manage all of this in 2.5 hours). So we're gonna be here for a while.
> 
> And this DOES contain Avengers 4 speculation based on set pics and filming info and stuff, but I tried to mix it with what I know is blatantly false for the sake of my sanity (it's hard to mess with canon that's not canon yet, which yes, that means there's no Captain Marvel, I have enough to figure out without guessing at the characterization of a character we don't even have a trailer for), so I'm not sure how many potential spoilers are actually gonna be in here.

Gamora fell into peace.

Quiet floated around her, soft and comforting after a lifetime of screams. Shallow water lapped gently at her, just holding her, as warm as one of Peter's hugs. None of her enhancements ached as they usually did. Nothing hurt, actually, even awkwardly splayed as she was in the same position that had ended her life. It was safe there.

After a lifetime of pain, she was free.

"Gamora."

That voice… it couldn't be.

"Wake up, darling."

Then again, she was dead too now. Anything was possible.

Gamora blinked awake. Orange mist stretched around them, from watery horizon to watery horizon. Not a vivid orange like Peter's old ship, but something darker, duskier. It was rather beautiful, actually.

But that wasn't what she cared about.

She cared about the familiar woman in front of her, dressed in the well-worn outfit Gamora remembered in perfect detail. "Mother," she murmured.

Her mother held out her arms, and Gamora melted into them, hiding in her mother's hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have screamed."

Mother stroked her hand over Gamora's hair. "It's not your fault, darling. You were just a child. A scared child."

Gamora closed her tears, tears beading at their corners. "I think I still am."

Mother moved back, cupping Gamora's face in both her hands. "No. You have grown into a brave young woman, Gamora. I couldn't be prouder."

"But I lost!" Gamora snapped, tearing away from her mother. "All those years of fighting him, and I gave him everything he needed in a single moment of weakness."

"Protecting your sister is no weakness," Mother rebuked instantly. "Your compassion is your greatest strength. It allowed you to fight back, to find your family. It gave you Groot, Mantis, Drax, Rocket, Nebula… Peter."

A bittersweet smile flickered across her face. "I guess some part of me always doubted it – how could anyone love Thanos's daughter? – but… he really loves me."

"Loved."

Gamora looked up sharply. "What do you mean, _loved_?"

"He will be gone soon," Mother said. "Him, Groot, Mantis, Drax. Even Loki."

Her heart clenched. "They failed."

"Thanos has the Time Stone," Mother said. "In here, I have seen over fourteen million possible futures, as has the human called Doctor Strange. He alone knows what is coming."

"Wait," Gamora said slowly. "How do _you_ know this?"

"I am… not _quite_ your mother," she admitted. "I have been pulled from your memories of her, but I am merely an extension of the Soul Stone."

Gamora stepped back abruptly. "But… I'm dead, right? This is the afterlife."

"You are within the Soul Stone, Gamora. You are not dead, not in the traditional sense of the word. Nor is anyone else in here."

Gamora scrunched her forehead on confusion. "What?"

A rumble shook the world around them, splashing water onto Gamora's ankles. "No," her mother protested.

"Mother, what's happening?" Gamora demanded, glancing at the darkening mist.

Mother closed the gap between them, grabbing Gamora's hands. "The Stone has a consciousness, but bound within the Gauntlet, it must do Thanos's bidding. But it does not _want_ to. Your sacrifice – he _believes_ it is true love, and therefore he received the Stone. But it _isn't_ true love, and therefore, you have a way out."

Gamora sucked in a breath. "I can save the others?"

Mother smiled breathlessly. "You can save the _universe,_ darling. Not quite everyone, nor will it be easy. But it is doable."

Another rumble shook the ground, this one more of a quake. Urgency shot through Gamora.

"How?"

\-----

Overhead, dark clouds roiled, writhing together and screaming to pour out their agony in a torrential storm. But Thor kept that much control over them, rebelling against their need to cry for him. If he let go, if he let the tiniest breeze wind through the trees, if he let even a single drop of rain touch the ground- Loki would be gone.

So he fought. Used his last dregs of strength to say no. To keep guarding the pile of ashes he now laid beside. His fists still clenched around what he'd been holding when Loki faded away.

Around him, some of the others were picking themselves up. Natasha was encouraging Steve. Rhodey was pulling Tony up, Tony gasping in a pain that wasn't entirely physical. Nebula had picked up Rocket, slinging him over one shoulder, the rabbit not even fighting it. Okoye and M'Baku, blank eyes the only sign of their grief, were carefully picking up Vision's colorless body.

Thor saw none of it. Heard none of it. Just held back the storm, the storm he couldn't feel within him, and stared at the dirty, dented helmet lying in front of him.

_I'm his victim again._

Victim.

Again.

Loki, Thanos's victim.

Heimdall, Thanos's victim.

Sif, Thanos's victim.

Three-quarters of the surviving Asgardians, Thanos's victims.

"Thor?"

Maybe it was the accent of home, or pure instinct at the simple use of his name, but Thor reacted. Only with a blink.

Valkyrie came to kneel in front of him, careful to avoid the pile of ashes. "Thor, you can't stay here," she pointed out gently, holding out her hand.

It was trembling.

Part of Thor remembered that she had only just started recovering from the other mass slaughter in her life, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Why?" he rasped. The single word broken beyond repair.

"Because we have to fight this," Valkyrie pushed.

Thor watched Okoye and M'Baku carry Vision off, remembering Wanda's words. He hadn't understood then. But now… "What's left to fight for?"

"Your people," Bruce said, coming up behind Valkyrie. "Humans. Whoever the hell is left."

Thor just lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "Thanos is done. Everyone left is safe."

"And what if they're not dead?" Bruce challenged.

Thor tilted his hands just enough to see the ashes peeking out from his fingers. _Four times. This is the fourth time._ "L-" He paused, swallowing. "He wouldn't do this to me. Not now. They're _gone_ , Bruce."

Bruce flinched back from the emptiness in his voice. "When have we ever accepted a loss, Thor? We're the Avengers. The Revengers."

"If we lose, we get revenge for the lost," Valkyrie stated, picking up Loki's helmet. "You helped me avenge my sisters. Now I'm going to help you avenge your brother."

She held out the helmet.

Thor closed his eyes. "I had my chance," he said hollowly, seeing again the image of Thanos stabbing Heimdall in the heart. "And I failed. And Loki died for it. Sif died for it. And what is Asgard left with? A handful of refugees traumatized beyond belief."

He shook his head. "I'm done trying. I'm… I'm done."

He couldn't see them, but he could feel the heaviness in their silence, hear them shifting as they glanced at each other.

"Ok," Valkyrie murmured. "You… you don't have to fight. But- come inside." She moved the helmet forward, until its cool metal touched his fingers. "Please."

_He would want his helmet taken care of,_ Thor thought. _Cleaned and fixed._

"Come on, Thor," Bruce urged gently.

Slowly, painfully, he forced his fingers to uncurl. He opened his eyes, letting a tiny breeze weave over his palms, carrying Loki's ashes to the rest of the pile in a graceful little flurry. Then he reached for the helmet, picking it up carefully, tenderly.

As Valkyrie and Bruce led him to the palace, he cradled it against his reluctantly beating heart.

\-----

"Thank you," Tony said to the Wakandan doctor as she finished patching up his stab wound. "And… I'm sorry."

She forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You tried," she said, handing him a new shirt. "That is all we ask."

Tony nodded, accepting the shirt and the words as she left him with Rhodey in the palace's guest quarters. "Anything?" he asked his best friend as he pulled the shirt on. _Damn, it doesn't even tingle like the Cradle did. Where has this place been all my life?_

Rhodey lowered his phone with a shake of his head. "I can't reach Happy, Pepper, or May."

Tony buried his face in his hands, fighting back another surge of tears. "This is not happening," he mumbled. "This is _not_ happening-"

"Hey," Rhodey said, coming over to squeeze his shoulders. "This isn't the end, Tones. We'll get the kid back."

"How?"

Tony looked up, once again flooded by a mess of emotions at the sight of Bruce, standing awkwardly in the doorway. On the one hand, thank _god_ he was alive. On the other… "Where _were_ you, Bruce?"

Bruce winced from the unintentional sharpness in his voice.

Tony swallowed, struggled for control. "Don't get me wrong, I'm damn glad you're back, but- two years. I thought you were dead for _two years,_ Bruce. I kept searching, of course I did, I searched the entire planet repeatedly, but- _two years_."

"I know," Bruce said. "I- Well, I guess I don't. I haven't- I don't really remember the last two years."

"What?" Tony exclaimed. "Bruce- what the hell happened?"

"Hulk happened," Bruce explained. "He took complete control for two years. He was a champion gladiator on this planet called Sakaar, and he didn't let go until Thor came crashing back into our lives a few days ago and snapped me out of whatever I was stuck in. I had no idea two years had gone by, Tony, I swear."

"Thor," Tony said. "What happened there? Is Loki- was he really on our side?"

Bruce nodded. "Uh, turns out they had an evil older sister their father didn't mention until his death released her from her banishment. She made New York Loki look like a joke villain, Tony – she slaughtered Asgard's entire army, including Thor's Asgardian BFFs, single-handedly, and she had her sights set on the rest of the universe.

"Thor and Loki barely survived her return, with their fight knocking them both to Sakaar, where they met me and Val. Long story short, the four of us and some others you haven't met made it back to Asgard, but we had to destroy the planet to stop Hela. And, yes, Loki was the key to our escape and our victory.

"And then, a few hours later, Thanos attacked us for the Tesseract. He left half of the survivors dead. Hulk fought him-" Bruce paused, a chuckle escaping him. "His cue to attack was actually Loki saying 'We have a Hulk.'"

"Seriously?" Tony said. "He remembered that?"

"He doesn't forget much," Bruce said. "Well… he didn't forget much."

_Didn't._

The past tense was flying around far too much lately.

"How many times is this?" Tony asked quietly.

"Four, from what Val told me," Bruce answered, equally quiet, glancing up and down the hallway before shutting the door. "He apparently had to let Thanos think he'd killed him to save Thor after Heimdall sacrificed himself to send me back here. And then… that."

Tony closed his eyes, remembering the stories Thor had told them of his days with Loki. The way his voice dipped in a grief he denied having, the way he still sometimes wore the armguards with Loki's helmet on them, the black strands he sometimes wove into his hair that he claimed were just a fashion thing.

And that was when he still had nearly everyone else.

"How bad is he?" Rhodey asked, resting his hand back on Tony's shoulder. Tony glanced over at him, at the phone still silent in his hand.

"Broken," Bruce answered simply. Yet the single word carried the weight of a thousand worlds, the blood of an entire civilization. Now turned to ash.

The door slammed open, sending Bruce leaping out of the way. Natasha stood there, phone in hand, uncharacteristic desperation in her eyes. "Clint's family."

Tony straightened, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. "Who?"

"All of them," she answered, her voice wavering. "Laura, Lila, Cooper, Nathanial. The snap even took the _dog_."

"No," Bruce breathed.

Rhodey's phone rang. Tony snatched it up, stabbing the answer button without even looking at the caller I.D. "Gimme good news."

_"I- I don't know what happened,"_ Happy stammered. _"One second we were at the doc's, looking at the ultrasound, and then- then she was just_ gone, _Tony-"_

"Wait," Tony interrupted, fumbling for Rhodey, for Bruce, for Natasha, for _someone_. "She- you don't- you _can't_ mean-"

_"Pep- Pepper's gone, boss. And… she was pregnant."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoy your reviews that are basically summed up to "WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS when's chapter 2?" It's been a fun day.

Rhodey caught him, sinking to the ground with him, but Tony still felt the impact like an earthquake through his bones. Happy was still talking, stammering, asking after Tony, but he hardly heard. Bruce took the phone, and Tony couldn't tell if it was his hand or Bruce's that was shaking.

He wanted to cry, everything in him screamed at him to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. He just brought up his hands, one at a time, moving with robotic jerks until he was clinging to Rhodey, fingers buried in his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Tones," Rhodey whispered, his own tears falling into Tony's hair even as he held his voice steady.

"I had a dream," Tony breathed. "And now it's- it's-"

More shrill ringing pierced the room, this time from Tony's phone. Natasha picked it from his pocket, but when Tony caught the caller I.D., he took it back. "I can answer that-" Rhodey started to offer.

Tony sucked in a shuddering breath, shaking his head. "He's my responsibility."

Biting his lip, he pressed answer.

_"Finally!"_ May half-shrieked, her terror piercing Tony's eardrum. _"I've been trying to reach you for two hours-"_

"May!" Tony interrupted, not unkindly. "May, I-"

_"Ned's gone,"_ she half-sobbed. _"He came over after school to wait for Peter with me, but then he just- he just- he-"_

Tony pressed the phone against his chest, struggling for air. _Not Ned. Not Ned too._

Rhodey wrapped him back in the hug, and Tony found the strength to lift the phone. "What about MJ?" he asked through her continued attempts to stammer out the story.

Her voice strengthened a little. _"She's fine. She texted me, asking about Ned and- PETER! Stark,_ where is my nephew _?"_

Tony clenched his eyes shut, a sob building in his throat. And the pause was all she needed.

_"No,"_ she protested. _"No, I- You were supposed to_ protect _him, Stark!"_

"I know," Tony said, with no idea how his voice came out steady. "I know. I'm not done fighting for him, May. I'm not giving up."

_"Don't you dare,"_ she hissed. _"I want my nephew back, Stark."_

"So do I," Tony whispered, even knowing she'd hung up. "I want all of my kids back."

\-----

Gamora strode through the Soul Stone, intent on her mission.

_Find some others,_ her mother had said. _Form a team._

Her surroundings still looked the same, except for the doors that had started appearing in clouds of ash. Each one was surrounded by an orange glow, and no door was identical. Size, pattern, material, even what side the doorknob was on – some detail differed every time.

_Choose them carefully, for escape will be dangerous. Choose with your head, darling, not your heart._

Floating above every door, embedded in the orange glow, was a name plaque. Some were written in languages Gamora couldn't recognize, let alone read. But she didn't need to.

_You will need power, strength. But not just physical strength – leaving will take courage. More courage than any of you have ever needed before._

The design of every door – Gamora suspected it was based on its owner. That waist-high pink door covered in gold sparkles – a little human girl. That thirty-foot door painted with an icy landscape – one of Loki's Jotun cousins. And… that door there… with a name she _could_ read…

_When your soul is pulled into the Stone, you will not know. All you will know is paradise. Not the tropical vacation sort, but the paradise where everybody you've loved most is together, with you, and you've known no pain._

Gamora paused in front of a door painted with a Walkman on top and a Zune on the bottom, their wires meeting to twine together. The background was an idyllic view that, though she had never seen it, she recognized from Peter's many descriptions of his Terran hometown. Golden sunshine, soft grass, a quaint cottage, a winding river.

Everything she had once dreamed of seeing with him.

_To return to the real world after knowing such paradise… is a commitment few can make._

Gamora rested a hand on the brass doorknob. Surely Peter would come for her? He had been willing to kill her at her request, after all. But to ask him to leave his mother again… to trade a lifetime of singing and dancing with her for a lifetime of abuse and loss…

No. He deserved his peace. She couldn't take it from him. Not when she didn't know if this would work.

_There is a portal. At the edge of the Stone's expanse, where only it knows._

_How am I to find it, then?_

_There are two souls who have a connection to the Stone's power. This will make you trackable, and it will fight you, but they are your only chance._

_Thanos is summoning me – I must leave you. Good luck, darling._

She turned away, looking from door to door, wishing her mother had had time to finish. Half of the universe was contained within these doors, a countless number of souls from a countless number of species. And she was supposed to find two?

_Think, Gamora. Who do you know is in here?_

_Peter. The rest of my team – except Rocket. She didn't say Nebula, either. And…_

_Loki._

_If anyone has a connection to this place, it's him. Or at least he can find the two who do._

_Now…_ she thought, looking around her with slumped shoulders. _I just have to find him._

\-----

Thor huddled on a couch, cleaning supplies on the coffee table in front of him. He held the rag, scrubbing at the stains marring the helmet's golden surface. Valkyrie was pacing around, downing yet another drink, empty bottles already cluttering up the rest of the table. Steve was sitting in a chair, blankly watching Valkyrie's growing collection. Nebula stood in the corner, arms crossed, Rocket shifting near her as if he couldn't decide whether to stick close to her or not. Thor didn't really know where Bruce had gone.

Across the table was another couch, occupied by three crying women huddled together. M'Baku had called them Nakia, Shuri, and Ramonda. Royal, two of them. Grieving half their kingdom and T'Challa. Shuri's brother.

He clenched the helmet, shoving at a dent. It popped out beneath his strength. He stopped at the sound, checking to make sure he hadn't hurt it. Valkyrie paused to watch him, then threw back another few mouthfuls.

"I would've liked him, I think," Steve said, switching his half-hearted attention to the helmet.

Thor didn't look away from a particularly stubborn stain. "Was that Bucky?"

"Yeah," Steve answered hollowly. "He was back, too."

"I was wondering why you accepted him so quickly."

Well. Before the dusting he was, anyway.

"Being a hypocrite cost me Tony," Steve murmured. "I wasn't going to do it again."

"Yeah, what happened?" Valkyrie asked. "Thor talked about you guys like you were a family, but I get down here and you just start glaring daggers."

"I found something out a few years ago," Steve replied quietly. "Something important, especially to him. And even though I told him I wished we would be more open with each other… I didn't tell him my best friend killed his parents. And it blew up in our faces."

"Oh," Val said. "Damn."

"That's _it_?" Thor demanded, tearing his gaze from the helmet. "The team split over _that_?"

"It's more complicated than that-"

"No, it's _not_ ," Thor hissed. "You called Tony your brother. He's the son of one of your closest friends. My brother tried to kill me, lied to me, tore my heart out, after I spent a lifetime bullying him however unintentionally, and we took each other _right_ back the moment we were ready."

"And we're not ready!" Steve shot back. "I'm not you, and he's not Loki."

Thor flinched, dropping his gaze back to the helmet. But still he mumbled, "And how do you know that's the comparison I was making?"

Steve stopped, mouth hanging open.

Tony burst into the room, slamming the door open, sending Steve, Nebula, Rocket, Nakia, and Val jumping right into fighting stance. Ramonda grabbed Shuri, who just jerked her head up, their sobs ending abruptly. Thor just returned to cleaning the helmet.

"We need a plan," Tony announced, determination hardening his voice.

"A plan?" Nakia asked.

"We?" Nebula echoed.

"Yes, us, and yes, a plan," Tony said as Rhodey, Bruce, and Natasha followed him in.

"The plan is to pick up the pieces," Ramonda said. "We have lost too many lives today."

"No," Tony snapped. "No, I refuse to believe that."

"Tony-"

Tony snapped his fingers. "It's Stark to you, Rogers. What do we know about this Infinity Gauntlet?"

"It killed half of the universe," Thor deadpanned. "And they're not coming back."

Tony hesitated, slowly lowering his hand. "Thor, I'm talking about getting your brother back. Don't you want that?"

"Of course I do," Thor said, rubbing at the remnants of one last patch of dirt. "But it's impossible."

"Thor, you're a literal legend," Tony pointed out. "Earth's first alien invader in modern history, bringing history and science and magic to life for a lot of us. You might as well have taught us that _everything_ is possible."

"Not this," Thor growled. "Don't get your hopes up, Tony. It only brings heartbreak."

Tony moved in, leaning against the arm of the couch to look Thor in the eye. "That son of a bitch took my pregnant fiancée," he murmured, voice vibrating with rage. "He took her, and my kid, and his best friend. There is nothing _left_ for me besides heartbreak."

"Hey!" Rhodey protested. "What are Happy and I, chopped liver?"

Tony held up a hand. "I am making a _point_ over here."

Thor started to chuckle, a genuinely happy noise.

_You know, you two ain't acting very godly._

_We're brothers first._

_Today, anyway._

He snapped his mouth shut and looked away, only to see Valkyrie. She offered a feeble smile, laying a hand on one of the helmet's horns. "You can't be a heartbroken brother right now, Thor. You're a king. _My_ king, and- whoever's left. We need you."

"Okoye mentioned Asgard was destroyed," Shuri broke in, drawing everybody's attention. "As I am- am going to be queen, I will offer your people refuge in Wakanda. On the condition you agree to help them try to get my brother back."

Thor paused, considering. Wakanda did seem to have more advanced technology than the rest of the world – that would make the adjustment a little easier on his people. And if he built a rapport with Wakanda's queen and royal family, he wouldn't have to contend with the ever-shifting government of America as he had expected. But…

"Even if I agreed, you cannot undo an Infinity Stone's work without that Infinity Stone. Especially if they are assembled in a Gauntlet."

Rocket and Valkyrie straightened up at the same moment, exchanging a glance.

"What?" Tony demanded, glancing between the two. "What's that look for?"

"We know who made Thanos's Gauntlet."

\-----

Gamora stopped in front of a golden door bordered by forest green snakes. In the center split a dichotomy: gleaming Asgard reaching upwards, outlined in a faintly shimmering rainbow, while icy Jotunheim stretched downwards into blackness. Only one person could have such a door.

She took hold of the intricate handle and paused. _If this doesn't work… if he won't leave…_

_No. You'll_ make _it work._

_You have to. For Mother._

Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that Steve and Tony post-CW subplot is gonna keep going, and I will try my absolute hardest to stay neutral and show both sides, but... sorry in advance to anyone who's Team Cap should I slip up (though I guess it's not in advance if I screwed up already... hopefully it'll be easier when both of them are in the scene and/or interacting with people who actually know the details).
> 
> Also I somehow pulled off a voiceover scene in text form. Enjoy that, it'll probably never happen again


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little clarification on my CW stance - politically, pre-Siberia, I have absolutely zero problem understanding both sides, and I support Tony's actions because they're perfectly logical, though I do tend to agree more with Steve, partially cause I know the Accords would've been ignored by everyone eventually regardless of who signed. But personally, in Siberia, while I know Tony was in the wrong for attacking Bucky, I am bitter at Steve "I wish my teammates would tell me things" Rogers not telling Tony for two years that slightly important detail that could've averted the whole mess and then leaving Tony alone, bleeding in a crippled suit, in a frozen Hydra bunker that no one knew existed. That is the part I'm gonna struggle with.
> 
> Anyways, on to the fic!

Loki leaned back against the courtyard's apple tree, running his fingers over Carita's intricate cornrows. She nestled against him, clad in her favorite lavender jodhpurs and silver top so they could go riding later, her smile more radiant than Asgard's midday sun as she laughed at the story Mother was telling.

"So Thor, in his infinite youthful wisdom," she was saying, barely repressing her own laughter, "decided to go to Loki, of all people, for help hiding from Sif."

"I was desperate!" Thor said defensively, tucking a strand of long hair behind his ear as a breeze blew it into his face, Mjolnir settled at his side. "He was a better shot than the Warriors Three!"

Loki arched his eyebrow. "Did you think I was a fool, brother? Prince or not, I wouldn't dare lie to Sif's face."

"You wouldn't have had to _lie,_ " Thor protested. "You could've just… stalled her. Asked her a painting question or something."

"That would not have lessened her anger."

"You're supposed to stick up for your brother!"

"And I do, when I can stab the enemy," Loki said. "Have I ever failed you on the battlefield?"

Tucked in her thigh holster, Hildr wriggled. Loki dropped his fingers to stroke her hilt, trailing his finger along one of the snakes. She hadn't been at all happy these last few hours.

"Only at home," Thor muttered.

"That's my husband," Carita joked, tilting her head to look at Loki. Mischief sparkled in her eyes' emerald depths.

"Can you make him behave?"

"I absolutely will not," she said.

Loki smiled, bending down for a kiss. She met his lips happily, her touch soft and warm, tasting of the sweet fruit she had snacked upon as the scent of the garden wove around them. He closed his eyes, savoring her, savoring the warmth of Asgard and his family, savoring the love he hadn't felt in too long.

"Loki?"

They broke apart, Loki whipping around to find the newcomer. Hildr leapt into his hand and yanked him to his feet, straining to reach her. Loki dug his heels in, hissing, "Stop that!"

She did. Abruptly. Breaking free of his hand and using her blade to reflect the sun directly into his eyes. "Hildr!" he scolded as he staggered, half-blinded.

Thor leapt up while Loki fought with his own dagger, striding forward and aiming Mjolnir at the green woman. "Who are you, and how did you get this deep into the palace?"

"I…" she started, but faltered, eyeing Loki and Hildr in confusion. "I came to talk to him."

Hildr flipped upright, haughtily shaking her hilt at Loki. His heart plummeted into his stomach.

"I have no idea who you are," Loki stated, grabbing Hildr firmly and putting her away. "Now leave."

She only stepped closer, holding eye contact. "You and I have unfinished business, Loki."

Mother and Carita moved forward to flank him. Carita lifted her chin. "You have no business with my husband. Now do as he said and _leave_."

" _Husband_?" the woman said, glancing between the couple.

"Yes," Loki growled, practically daring her to say otherwise. "Carita is my wife of sixty years."

"You remember," she murmured, narrowing her eyes at him. "I know you remember."

"Remember what?" Mother demanded. "Loki, what is she talking about?"

" _Nothing,_ " Loki insisted, taking a step forward. " _Leave_."

She crossed her arms, planted her feet. "No."

Loki stared her down, but she only stared right back. Unblinking.

"Move so I can get rid of her," Thor ordered, lightning flickering around Mjolnir.

"No," Loki said quickly. "Just- I'll take care of this. Alone."

"Loki…" Carita said.

He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. "I'll be fine, my love. Go inside."

She hesitated, searching his face for clues with suspicion in her eyes, because of course she knew something was amiss. She always knew when he was hiding something. "I'll be waiting for you," was she all said though, trailing her fingers along his as she moved away.

"If you need anything…" Mother said.

"I'll call," Loki assured her, forcing a smile for her and Thor. She returned the smile, looking at with that same concern in her eyes that Carita had, and briefly squeezed his hand before following her other two children into the palace.

Only when he was certain they were gone did he turn to Gamora. "What are you doing here?"

"So you do remember?" Gamora checked. "You're connected to the Stone?"

"I am."

"How?"

Loki shrugged. "I suppose it decided to replenish my magic with its own."

"Why?" Gamora asked.

"Paradise for a trickster requires magic, and I used most of mine to defeat your father."

"He's not my father," Gamora said instantly. "And that's not it."

Loki turned away, heading inside. "Look, if you came here to find out how this place works, go to the library. I have a family to return to."

"You do," Gamora agreed. "Just not those three."

Hildr jerked in her holster, tugging back towards Gamora.

Loki stopped, clenching his jaw. "They are all that matters."

"Your dagger seems to disagree," Gamora observed pointedly. "Is it enchanted? What's its name?"

"Her name is Hildr-"

She jolted, smacking his thigh. He gritted his teeth. _Fine._

"Carita," Loki amended, letting her out. She darted into the air, hovering firmly out of his reach. "Her name is Carita, and yes, she's enchanted."

"Carita," Gamora echoed. "As in your wife?"

"Yes."

"She's dead in the real world, isn't she? Did she die in the attack?"

"Yes," Loki answered. "And no."

Her voice softened. "I'm sorry. But-"

"No!" Loki snapped, whirling around. "You don't get to be sorry. It's your fault I'm in here, and I'm not leaving."

"This is an _illusion,_ Loki," she pressed. "You have no reason to stay."

"I have _every_ reason to stay," Loki shot back. "I have my mother, my soulmate, my brother, and my father. My closest friends and my people are alive and well. The Frost Giants aren't feared as a race of monsters, not after I was adopted. I am _happy_ here."

"Are you?" Gamora challenged, stepping closer. "Is Thor, the real Thor, in here? Or is he still alive? And can you really be happy when you know your brother is out there, alone and grieving?"

Loki looked away from her heated stare. "He's not alone," he mumbled.

"Tell me who's with him, then. His own soulmate? His own closest friends? Does he even have his _hammer_?"

"…No," Loki admitted. "He has… he has his human friends."

"And they'll be dead long before him," Gamora said.

"He has Valkyrie-"

"And I'm going to guess by your tone that that's not terribly comforting," Gamora interrupted. "What are they, strangers? Strained exes? Former enemies?"

"They only met a few days ago."

"So I'll ask again: How happy can you _really_ be in here? Assuming, of course, that you love your brother."

"Of course I do!" he snapped. He sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. "What do you want?"

"There's a portal," she explained. "A way out. But only you and one other person have any hope of finding it. I need the two of you, plus a few others, to get there."

"And once you find it?"

"Then we escape," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We escape this place, defeat Thanos once and for all, and bring half the universe back to life."

Shadows rippled over the ground, and Loki looked up to see a group of Valkyries soaring past, Brunnhilde and her blonde second-in-command leading the rest. She was content in here too, with no hint of the alcoholism and insomnia Loki had watched her suffer in those weeks on Sakaar. Based on his new memories, anyway.

He had only had a few hours to enjoy this.

"If I agree to this," Loki said slowly, "I have one condition."

"What?" Gamora asked warily.

"I come back here," Loki stated. "You can bring Sif and Carita back in my place. And whatever you do to resurrect the others doesn't touch me."

Gamora hesitated. "Loki…"

"That's my one and only offer. Take it or leave it."

She sighed but nodded. "I'll take it." She gestured at the palace. "Do you want to say goodbye?"

Loki looked back at the palace. Home. Knowing Mother and Carita were probably in there waiting for him, blocking Thor from storming back outside. "No," he said. "I'll be back."

\-----

Tony paced back and forth, holding the one bottle of beer Valkyrie had let him have, trying to ignore some of the room's other occupants. Bruce, hovering near the Asgardians but watching Tony as if he were torn. Thor, folded up in the corner of the couch, practically hugging the golden helmet Tony had last seen attacking New York. And Steve.

Steve, who had lied to him for two years even as he gave Tony lectures about honesty. Steve, who had accused him of tearing apart the Avengers when a war took two sides. Steve, who had driven his father's invention into what was almost literally Tony's own heart.

Steve, who had discovered a lethal plot and tried to tell him even as Tony tried to arrest him. Steve, who had offered an olive branch Tony hadn't used for two years. Steve, whose lifelong best friend Tony had tried to murder for something that wasn't even his fault.

Orange sparks flickered to life on one side of the room, widening into a portal. Ant-Man and a woman Tony didn't recognize stepped through first, followed by a fully battle-ready Clint. Last came Wong, the portal closing behind him.

"Wong," Tony greeted. "Uh, hi Clint."

"Tony," Clint said, more awkward and distracted than curt. Natasha went to him, pulling him into the corner for a hushed conversation.

"Scott," Steve said, standing to greet the newcomer. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah," Scott said. "Um, everybody, this is my partner Hope, aka The Wasp. Hope, these are-"

"I think I already know them, Scott," Hope said, patting his shoulder. "But thank you."

"Oh," was all Scott said. Tony noticed a necklace clutched in one hand, a simple silver chain with a hideous bunny thing peeking out of his fist.

"You lost your kid too?" Tony asked quietly.

"His daughter," Hope confirmed, lowering her hand to hold his, brushing her thumb over the bunny.

"Welcome to the club," Rocket said. "Now how are we getting them back?"

Valkyrie nodded at the Asgardian axe resting in the corner. "The same dwarf who made Stormbreaker and Loki's dagger also made Thanos's Gauntlet. If we're lucky, he's still alive, and can forge one for one of us to wear."

"Who, though?" Shuri asked.

"Me," Tony, Valkyrie, and Thor said simultaneously.

"Thor, no," Tony said. "You're a king, we can't risk you like that. And I'm pretty sure your position is just as tenuous, Valkyrie."

"No human could use the Gauntlet at full strength," Valkyrie protested. "It would kill you instantly."

Shuri nodded her agreement. "I saw the power running through Vision's Stone alone. You cannot possibly wield all six at once."

"Odds are I wouldn't be," Tony countered. "We'd have to steal the Stones from Thanos to even use them, and the chance of us getting all six is slim to none. One would be difficult enough."

"And how does one Infinity Stone get our kids back?" Clint asked.

"The Time Stone," Nebula guessed. "That's where you're going with this, aren't you?"

"Bingo," Tony confirmed. "We almost had him on Titan. We just needed one more person, and we could've gotten the Gauntlet off when he still only had four Stones."

"It's moronic, but you hero types seem to be able to pull off moronic," Nebula said.

Thor chuckled, brief and quiet, but definitely a happy noise. Tony glanced between him and the cyborg, wondering.

"And with that note of _resounding_ confidence," Rhodey interjected drily, "what if this plan doesn't work?"

"If time travel's the plan, my dad might have something that can help," Hope offered.

"Humans have time travel?" Valkyrie asked in surprise.

"Not quite," Hope said. "He never really got it to work. But maybe, with the help of Wakanda and Stark…"

Thor stood, keeping hold of the helmet with both hands. "First, Eitri will need to measure you for the Gauntlet, Tony."

"Ok," Tony said. "Valkyrie, Bruce, Rocket, Nebula, I want you with us. Hope, Shuri, Bruce, you guys wanna get started on Plan B?"

Shuri rose, determination edging her voice. "My lab is this way."

They started to leave, Scott following Hope, but Tony caught his arm. "You have shrink discs, right?"

Scott nodded. "Why?"

"Thor," Tony called, waving him over. "Do you want Loki's helmet turned into something like that?" he asked, pointing at Scott's bunny necklace.

Thor looked from it to Scott. "Could you?"

Tony ordered the last of his nanites into a small chain as Scott placed a silver and red disc onto Loki's helmet. It shrank to appropriate keychain size, fitting snugly in the palm of Thor's hand. Tony looped the chain through it, then affixed it around Thor's neck. It was just long enough to let the helmet settle over Thor's heart.

Thor smiled softly, tears shimmering in his newly bicolored eyes. "Thank you."

"Any time," Scott murmured, holding up his own keepsake in a makeshift toast.

"Come on, we have a lot to catch up on," Tony said, clapping Thor's shoulder and guiding him to the door. "It's been a long two years."

"Yes," Thor agreed. "When did you get a child?"

Tony smiled. "For starters, his name is Peter…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone in the reviews of Hidden Heartbeat mentioned the potential Pym aspect of the time traveling - I don't remember who you are, but thank you.
> 
> We're officially delving into the territory of characters I have either never written, have only written like once, or haven't written in at least months. (Like Scott and Hope. And human Carita, I came up with her back in November but never actually intended to write her until a few days ago...) So. This'll be fun going forward.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY. I was burning out - the first version of this chapter was almost entirely complete crap - so I let myself take a break for a single one-shot that never got finished, and then the break just... kept... going... until suddenly it's been a month aND I SWEAR I AM SO SORRY.
> 
> ...With that being said, I have a Jurassic World 2 request I wanna get to (though my plans to see the movie a second time, which I need to do to get a better idea of Maisie's characterization, just fell through so... idk when I'll actually be writing that one) and a Tumblr contest due by July 8th. So. I might go away again. But hopefully not for another solid month.

"So Peter and Dum-E," Tony was saying as he and Thor stepped onto a half-empty landing platform, "unbeknownst to me, have been making a ton of homemade firecrackers-"

"What happened between you and Steve?" Thor asked.

Tony bit his lip. Of course Thor would have questions, and it had quickly become obvious that he wasn't completely listening to Tony's story, but… "It's complicated."

"My father keeping my murderous older sister a secret until moments before his death, and apparently having raised me to keep my power dependent on Mjolnir until he no longer needed me controllable should I follow in her footsteps, is complicated. An argument is not."

"It was very political, and then it got personal-"

"I am a king, and I _think_ I have an understanding of personal problems," Thor pointed out, trailing one finger over the miniaturized helmet. "And we all must be united, now more than ever."

Tony conceded the point with a wry smile. "I thought you were done fighting?"

"I am done fighting for the dead."

_Dead._

_Ned's dead._

_Peter's dead._

_Pepper's dead._

_My baby… Morgan is dead._

_No. They can't be. I won't_ let _them be._

"All right then," Tony acquiesced. He paused, thinking over his words, and bit by bit, the story came out. Friday alerting him to the tragedy in Laos, Ross calling him almost immediately to spring the Accords on him, rushed thoughts and a long conversation with Pepper on the plane, debating with the others before Rogers got the text that only knocked both of them further off-balance.

Backing out of attending Aunt Peggy's funeral to allow Rogers space, then the news of Barnes supposedly attacking the summit, scrambling to protect Wanda and Rogers and Barnes from the fallout, Barnes escaping, recruiting Peter.

_Recruiting Peter._

_Was that only two years ago?_

_It feels like he's always been there._

_Until now._

The airport battle that went so, so wrong. Using every ounce of willpower he could muster not to scream at Ross – and not quite succeeding – for putting them in the Raft. Arriving to get answers, hit from multiple sides by insults. Except from Wanda, horror flooding him at the sight of her already pale and still and entirely, utterly resigned to her fate, wrapped in a straight jacket and armed shock collar.

It was around Siberia that his words began failing him. He stumbled through the explanation, forcing away the image of Bucky – _no, the Winter Soldier_ – dragging his father from the car, unfazed by his recognition, punching him until he breathed his last. Of him strangling Mom as she sobbed for her husband, hurt and confused.

_Did they think of me?_ Tony wondered. _Or just each other?_

He flashed back to the moment his own dagger had pierced his unarmored abdomen. To the heartbeats before Strange's interruption, when death had been a certainty.

_No,_ he decided. _They thought of their son._

"And then… I snapped," Tony finished quietly. "I tried to murder Barnes, and Rogers tried to stop me. It left Rogers with no shield, Barnes with no arm, and me with a broken suit."

"So it is more complicated than Steve led me to believe," Thor concluded, starting to run his fingers through the remains of his hair before faltering. "I judged him too harshly."

Tony blinked. "What did you say to him?"

Thor rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I compared him to Loki. The Loki you knew."

"I think it's fair to say we both had a little New York Loki in us in Siberia," Tony allowed, sticking his hands in his pockets. "We weren't… really ourselves."

Thor studied his hand, clenching it into a fist as lightning sparked around it. "I understand that too," he murmured.

"Are you girls ready?" Nebula asked drily from behind them.

Tony and Thor jumped, spinning around to see her, Valkyrie, Rocket, and Bruce all waiting. Thor cleared his throat. "We were, ah, waiting for you."

"Really?" Valkyrie teased. "Because we've been standing here for about five minutes."

"Um-"

"Oh, just go," Tony mumbled before Thor could try another lame excuse. Fumbling Stormbreaker a little, Thor hefted it into the air, bringing the Bifrost-

"Wait! Wait for me!"

The rainbow disappeared abruptly as Tony turned, relieved at the sight of Rhodey jogging up to join them. As always, he ran a quick diagnostic gaze over his legs, making sure they were moving normally, that his braces were working at optimal levels. He was limping slightly, but at the moment, it could probably be chalked up to battle injuries.

He reached Tony's side, clapped him on the shoulder. "You didn't think I'd miss a chance to take the Bifrost Express, did you?"

"Why are humans always so peppy?" Nebula muttered.

"We evolved _specifically_ to annoy grumpy aliens," Tony retorted.

Nebula pursed her lips, flexing her metal arm. It sparked a little, her fingers moving sluggishly, but something told Tony it wouldn't be a good idea to offer to fix it for her. Thor, a tiny smile slipping rapidly from his face, narrowed his eyes slightly at the cyborg, but he too said nothing. He simply lifted Stormbreaker again, and this time the Bifrost took them uninterrupted.

\-----

Gamora stayed a few feet to Loki's left as they headed deeper into the maze of doors, because he seemed reluctant to take the lead. More than reluctant – he refused to let her out of his sight. And his dagger, for all her fighting against him earlier, kept herself positioned between Loki and Gamora.

She did her best to ignore it. "So, we need a team."

"We do."

"And _you_ know who dissolved," Gamora pressed irritably. "So who do you think we need?"

"Sif," he said, "for Thor's sake. She should be… over there."

Gamora followed his vague gesture. "Look, you're the one connected to the Stone. Just lead."

"No."

She spun on him. "All right, what's changed?"

"Changed?" he echoed, taking a step back.

"You forgave me on the ship," she said. "Why are you suddenly jumpy again?"

"I was never not wary of you, Gamora."

Gamora closed her eyes and took a calming breath. "Loki. I know. I know he put through you hell-"

"It wasn't that," Loki snapped. "I've been to Hel. It is depressing, and cold, and dark, and full of moping souls. But I had the hope of leaving, and Thor was there to cast light into the darkness. But with _him_ \- in _that_ place- there was _nothing._ And whatever you may have been doing these last few years, you are still _his_ daughter."

"I am not that scum's daughter," Gamora hissed.

"Then how are you here?" Loki challenged.

"He threw me off a cliff!"

"Exactly – it _worked._ If Thor didn't need hope, I wouldn't _dream_ of being here, with someone _he_ loves."

"It is _not_ love," Gamora shot back, clenching her fist. "It's some twisted _thing_ he thinks is love, and that's why he got the Soul Stone. But I'm _here,_ with you, because it wasn't love."

"Prove it."

Gamora worked her jaw, considering her options. Punching him to prove her artificial strength wouldn't gain his trust. Nor would hurling his dagger. Leaving her with stories she had no proof of, and…

She gathered her hair up and turned the back of her neck to him, showing off the thin white scar protruding from beneath her hair. "He cut me open. Put in a regeneration implant, and an ocular implant."

She dropped the hair, tapping her chest. "And a respiratory implant. Not to mention the cybernetic skeleton that aches more often than not, especially when it's cold. He said the pain would strengthen me, paying no attention to the fact that I didn't _want_ to be enhanced. He punished me for crying the first time he made me kill someone, someone he had told me was my sister, someone a year younger than me when I was just a child.

"If you can tell me that's love, then by all means, go back to that illusion you call home. I'll figure this out alone."

Gamora started walking, moving in the direction he'd said Sif would be in. She had no idea what this person's door would even look like, but she had to try.

"Wait."

She paused.

"You really hate him."

Gamora nodded, glancing back at Loki. "I haven't lied to you. He is no more my father than Odin is yours."

"Actually, we made up. Sort of. It was a fairly one-sided conversation."

Gamora smiled a little. "That's good."

"I suppose," Loki murmured. He nodded past her. "Shall we find Sif?"

"After you."

He hesitated a moment more, then strode into the lead.

\-----

Stars.

Of course they were the first thing Tony saw as the Bifrost flickered away. Cold pricks of light glaring at him from the even colder darkness of space. And there were no visible barriers between him and that darkness. No suit. No atmosphere.

Rhodey grabbed his arm, and only then did Tony realize his knees were buckling. Thor was moving, and something bumped against the back of Tony's legs, which he took as permission to collapse onto whatever it was. Rhodey squeezed his shoulders, sticking close. Thor did too, letting electricity spark around the hand he hovered in front of Tony, and Tony glued his gaze to the small spectacle. It helped. A little.

"Eitri?" Thor called. Tony tried not to focus on the way even his deep baritone got swallowed in the emptiness.

"You failed."

Tony jumped, whipping around to see a shaggy-haired man looming over them all. He stood, instinctively reaching out to make sure Bruce was tucked behind him, but he seemed oddly unstressed by all of this. Mostly just curious. Not at all like he was terribly concerned with holding Hulk back.

Despite their defensiveness, Thor made no move to stand between them and the giant. "We did."

Eitri's gaze swept over the group, and Tony lowered his arm. "Lady Sif? Prince Loki? Groot?"

"Gone," Valkyrie answered, a waver in her voice.

Eitri nodded solemnly, resting a massive metal finger on Thor's shoulder. "I am sorry," he murmured. "Who did the rest of you lose?"

"No one," Rocket snarled. "Cause we're getting them back."

Eitri furrowed his brows. "The snap cannot be undone."

"It can," Rhodey said, "by another Gauntlet."

Eitri took a rapid step back. "No."

" _Yes_ ," Bruce said. "We need your help one more time."

"No," Eitri insisted, holding up a defensive hand. "I _refuse_ to make another. Look what happened this time!"

"And we want to take that off your conscience," Rhodey pointed out. "As best we can, anyway. But to do that, we need our own Gauntlet."

"Who would even wield it?" Eitri asked, narrowing his eyes at Thor. "You don't support this nonsense, do you?"

Thor opened his mouth, but he faltered.

"He doesn't," Tony answered in his stead. "But I do. And I will."

" _You_? You collapsed at the mere sight of stars. You are not possibly strong enough," Eitri scoffed.

_Thanks for dinner, Mr. Stark!_

_Come back._

_I'm sorry._

_I had a dream._

_It was so real._

That same doubt flickered across Thor's face, albeit fueled by concern, but Tony forced himself to ignore it. He vaulted to his feet, stalking forward a step and lifting his chin to glare at Eitri. "Believe me," he promised in a low tone vibrating with rage, "I have the strength."

Eitri wavered, looking to Thor. "Are you truly going along with this?"

Thor finally moved into his normal protective position, always between the others and danger, letting a hint of pleading seep into his voice. "They're all I have left."

Eitri looked back to the others, from Valkyrie to Tony to Rocket and the rest. Even Nebula met his doubt with unwavering resolve.

Finally, he nodded.

The group released a collective breath of relief. "Thank you," Tony said.

"Don't thank me," Eitri muttered, gesturing for Tony to follow him. "Use your breath praying, if you believe in a god. You will need his strength."

"Again with the resounding confidence," Rhodey sighed.

Tony laughed.

\-----

Loki stopped outside of a golden door with a familiar suit of armor painted over it, her preferred double-blading sword slashing from the top left corner to the bottom right. "This is Sif," he told Gamora.

She stood beside him, tilting her head as she considered the painting. "She seems like someone I would like."

"Probably," Loki agreed, reaching for Carita. "But you cannot meet her just yet."

Gamora narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

_Loki stood in Od- his bathroom, brushing his hair slowly. These moments in a locked room were the only times he could drop the glamour, and he treasured them, even after only two weeks. He would have to figure out a new ruse at some point, but for now, the constant hiding was infinitely preferable to eternal solitary confinement._

_He set the brush down, eyeing the clutter on the counter. "Would anyone actually notice if I clea-"_

_A crash cut him off, the bathroom door flying off its hinges to slam into his back. He fell over the sink, sending Odin's many supplies flying as the impact drove his breath from his lungs. Then someone was grabbing him by the throat and slamming him back into the wall, the blade of a dagger joining the bruising grip._

_"I knew something was off," Sif hissed, glaring at his unchanged face. "Loki."_

_Loki held his hands up. He tried to laugh, but it came out as a wheeze. "Sif. I was wondering when you would follow up on all of your suspicious glances."_

_She was unamused, pressing the dagger dangerously hard against his skin. "Where is the Allfather?" she demanded._

_"Safer and happier than if he were here," Loki assured her. "Well, maybe not safer, but certainly happier."_

_"Cease your lies, silvertongue," she spat. "Did you kill him?"_

_"What do you think I am, a barbarian?"_

_"Yes."_

_Loki sighed. "Ye of little faith. We were friends!"_

_"_ Were _. Now tell me, where-"_

_Loki clenched his fist, and magic slithered between her hand and dagger and his throat. He shoved out, adding a powerful kick to the telekinetic blow. Sif crashed into the wall and hit the floor, debris raining down on her, where she stayed, unmoving._

_He went to kneel beside her, resting his hand over her forehead. He healed her scrapes and bruises and took the edge off her concussion, leaving just enough of it behind to ensure she would sleep for a while yet._

_"I am sorry, Sif," he murmured. "But I cannot go back to that cell."_

_Letting the Odin guise shimmer back into place, he stood and called for the guards._

"I must do this alone," he told Gamora, rubbing his throat.

"If this is a ruse-"

Loki rolled his eyes. "There are no backdoors here, Gamora. If I take too long for your liking, feel free to march in there after me."

"I could keep her as insurance," Gamora said, pointing at Carita.

She flipped up indignantly, and Loki quickly grabbed her from the air. "She stays with me. And I'll be back. For Thor."

He started to turn the handle, then paused. "Although, if it takes an hour, that probably means she killed me. If that happens, good luck."

"Wait, what does that mea-"

Loki slipped inside before he had to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put at least 3 intentional bits of foreshadowing into this chapter, which is more than I normally do in an entire fic. Enjoy trying to figure out which bits I'm referring to!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this on Saturday but something still feels off to me but I can't for the life of me figure out what so I'm just gonna post this and move on

Eitri didn't need Tony for long, so Thor sent him and Rhodey back to Earth. Bruce had wandered off, saying something about needing to have a talk with Hulk. Rocket and Nebula picked crates not quite next to each other and settled in to wait, both trying to look grumpy and impatient but not quite succeeding as quiet fell over the group, filled by memories. Valkyrie set to sharpening her sword.

"The humans seem confident in what they're doing," she said.

Thor huffed a wry laugh. "They always do, Valkyrie. They're certainly the most hopeful species I've ever met."

"And stubborn."

"I think certain Asgardians win that category."

"Why thank you."

Thor shook his head in exasperation and left her to her sharpening, heading for where they had landed before. Their pod was still there, still and awaiting a pilot. Thor paused beside it, resting his fingertips against the glass and gazing inside. Had he and Loki really sat back there, resting and playfully threatening each other, only hours ago?

It felt like a lifetime.

He turned away, towards where Loki had nearly sacrificed his mobility to save Thor's life. There had been such unguarded curiosity and grief and love and delight in his face as he handled Carita in the aftermath. Thor had wanted so badly to ask for a turn to hold that last physical remnant of Mother's love, but he had held his tongue, letting himself be content with Loki's contentment.

And now he had neither Carita nor Loki. Only memories that would fade as the centuries crawled by.

"Snap out of it," he muttered to himself, beginning to search through the crates. He may have lost Loki's favorite item, but Rocket didn't have to lose Groot's. "Where'd you put it, Eitri… Aha."

He spotted a glint of white amongst the dark crates and stretched up to grab the game. He checked it over for damage just in case, finding nothing. With it in hand, he returned to the group and offered it to the rabbit. "Here."

Relief pooled in tears that Thor pretended not to notice. Rocket took it, holding it as if it were sacred. "Thank you," he murmured, activating the screen.

"Any time," Thor said, switching his gaze to Nebula. "Do you have anything of… who did you lose?"

Nebula had been watching the game with pain in her eyes, but when she noticed Thor looking at her, she quickly pulled on a hardened mask. "Gamora," she answered reluctantly. "Big sister," she elaborated stiffly when Thor arched an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Ah," he said, Tony's thoughts suddenly becoming crystal clear. Thor plopped down between the duo, wriggling until they both scooted aside to give him space. "I suppose Tony knew this?"

"Wouldn't be surprised if Peter blabbed to him," Rocket said, eyes still glued to the game. "He takes- took every possible opportunity to blab about Gam."

"So annoying," Nebula huffed. "I don't know what she saw in him."

"Me neither," Rocket agreed.

Thor chuckled. "This is familiar."

Nebula looked at him sharply, but she seemed to realize he hadn't meant it as a jab, and she returned to her pouting. "Why am I even here?"

"Because Tony saw that you remind me of Loki," Thor answered. "Blue, former villain, pretends to hate everyone."

"I don't see why-"

"He wants to give me someone to fight for," Thor said. "Someone to bond with."

Nebula snorted. "Well, _I_ don't need anyone to _bond_ with."

Thor held out his hand, palm up and fingers curled, lightning sparking between their tips. "You do need a charge, though."

Glaring, she tried to insist she didn't, but her hand stuttered and wouldn't close into a fist. With a disgusted grunt, she held her arm out. Carefully, Thor rested his fingertips on it, letting his lightning run up and down the artificial limb, making sure to contain it within the metal, never letting it touch her flesh.

It took only a few moments, and when he let go, she looked at her arm with a blink. "That… didn't hurt."

Thor furrowed his brows. "Should it have?"

Nebula flexed the limb, testing it. "It always does," she answered softly. Confusedly.

She shook herself, returning to her harsh demeanor with a short "Thanks."

"Any time," Thor said again. He thought he noticed a faint flicker of a smile before Nebula looked away to sulk. Thor opened his mouth, ready to tease her about it, but stopped himself. Wasn't that sort of teasing what had driven Loki away, deep into a shell of resentment that hid his feelings?

Nebula wasn't Loki. That much was painfully, _painfully_ obvious. But… Tony did have a point. Thor had a chance here. A chance to start anew, to make amends with his past, to try to save Nebula while also letting her save him.

_A chance to start anew._

Thor took hold of Loki's helmet and glanced up at Valkyrie, now running through a series of poses; at Eitri, busy with the mold. He remembered the others' hope and insistence that all was not lost. And Loki's words echoed in his ears.

_The sun will shine on us again._

_You are with Mother,_ Thor thought, _where you always wanted to be. Your words did come true for you._

"I don't have anything of hers."

It was Nebula, her voice soft and hesitant, and she couldn't bring herself to look at Thor as she let her grief seep out. But that unguarded moment was all Thor needed.

"I can take you to find something," he offered.

She turned to him, perking up a little. "Would you?"

Thor smiled. "Of course."

_I will never forget you, little brother,_ he promised as he stood, reaching for Stormbreaker. _I couldn't even if I tried._

_But I must forge my own sunlight._

_I must move on._

\-----

Loki stepped into a battle.

Flames burned across the field, bodies and pieces of intricate leather armor scattered between them. Hoards of humanoid warriors ran in from all directions, closing in on a single group. Loki couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight – Sif, the Warriors Three, Thor, and, much to Loki's surprise, himself fighting alongside each other. Thor had his Sakaar hairdo, but otherwise, it could've been a memory from the years before Loki discovered he was Jotun.

Loki slipped behind a boulder, peeking around it to watch. Hogun dispatched enemies with clinical precision, a controlled smile on his face as he listened to the others bicker. Meanwhile, Fandral twirled his sword, fighting with every ounce of drama he could. Volstagg barreled into the hoard, laughing uproariously. Mjolnir flew through the crowd, back and forth from Thor's hand, lightning arcing out. Loki cast spell after spell, fighting his own enemies even has he covered the others' blunders. Sif fought with her usual ferocious skill.

Thor got separated from the rest of the group, seemingly unnoticed by anyone. Loki clenched his fist when he noticed an enemy sneaking up behind him, reminding himself that this was just an illusion. But he was getting closer, Mjolnir was too far away, even Thor had yet to notice…

"Loki, step!" Sif yelled, already leaping into the air. Loki looked up from his battle and threw a hand up, forming a circle of magic beneath Sif's extended foot. She pushed off it, clearing the rest of the distance between her and Thor. With a vicious slash, she beheaded his would-be attacker.

"Pay more attention," she scolded.

Thor just flashed a feral grin and pulled her into a heated kiss. He fisted his hand into her hair as she grabbed his waist, pulling him tight against her. Their sweat and the blood of their fallen enemies dripped down their faces, mingling on their working lips. Mjolnir raced to encircle them, smashing anyone who dared attempt to interrupt their moment.

_Of course that's Sif's dream kiss._

And as quickly as it began, it ended. They slid smoothly apart, plunging back into the battle.

_All right, nostalgia time is over._

Loki shook himself, filing the moment away for potential teasing and blackmail. Not that it was new information – only Thor had ever been blind to her true feelings for him. It was simply good to know the exact scenario she imagined paradise to be.

Now he just needed to take that paradise from her.

On a whim whispered in the back of his mind, he ordered "Stop."

Instantly, the world froze. Hogun mid-swing; Volstagg mid-leap; Fandral mid-laugh. Loki's magic and Thor's lightning, twining together, halted in place, a few scorched and severed limbs paused above the ground. Only Sif remained unfrozen, looking around in confusion.

_Well… that was new._

Loki blinked, looking down at his hand. He turned his palm upwards, summoning a small ball of magic. It swirled in his hand, looking perfectly norm-

_Was that a flash of orange?_

_How much magic did the Stone give me?_

_And why?_

"Loki?" Sif called. She held her double-bladed sword warily, moving to stand by Thor. "Why are there two of you? Why is everything frozen?"

Loki lofted himself into the air telekinetically, landing just out of range of her weapon, and held his hands up. "I have a good explanation, I promise. It's just… a little hard to explain in words."

She aimed the sword a little more directly at him. "You promised never to use _that_ skill on any of us."

Loki sighed. "I know. But it's an emergency."

Sif arched an eyebrow. "Worse than this?" she asked, jerking her head at the hoard.

" _Far_ worse."

She considered him for a moment, then finally relaxed, sheathing her sword. "Show me."

Loki placed his palm on her head and sifted through her memories. There were years of new ones that he didn't recognize, all of which he quickly bypassed, and then he encountered a barrier. But it let him through without a fight, as if it were a forcefield encoded to his genetics. Staying near it, he reached only as far back as the moment she and Valkyrie encountered each other. Grabbing that moment, as well as everything up to the moment she dissolved, he retreated to the paradise side of the barrier.

Her eyes snapped open, a gasp escaping her lips. He stepped back rapidly, half-lifting his hands defensively, uncertain of how she would react. But she simply stumbled backwards, grabbing Thor for support. "I died," she rasped.

"Only technically," he said helpfully, lowering his hands.

She pointed a trembling but stern finger at him. "No semantics."

Loki reached to gently touch her wrist. "Then yes, you died. But-"

Sif felt his touch and reacted instantly, knocking his hand away and glaring. "No," she hissed. "Do not touch me."

Loki held his hands up again. "I am sorry for banishing you-"

"Spare me your feeble words," she snapped. "Just explain to me where we are."

"We're inside the Soul Stone. This," he said, gesturing around, "is the idea of paradise it plucked from your head. And I have to help you and a few others escape the Stone so you can help the survivors end Thanos once and for all."

Sif narrowed her eyes. "Why does that sound like you're not escaping with us?"

"Because I'm staying in here, where I'll be out of your hair forever."

She mulled that over, and Loki thought he saw… something flash in her eyes, but it disappeared before he could see what. "What others?"

"One who has more reason to hate Thanos than almost anyone. The other who's connected to this Stone. And… we haven't picked out the others yet."

"The other… you're connected to an _Infinity Stone_?" Sif exclaimed. "Why?"

"Perhaps because I'm the most powerful sorcerer it holds?" he suggested drily.

_And yet… not the most heroic. Why not Strange? Surely he is more worthy than I?_

Sif eyed him for a moment, and there was that something again, a little clearer, a little longer. Just enough for Loki to maybe identify it. But… no. It couldn't be that. Not when she was still so enraged about her banishment.

"I really am sorry about your banishment," he tried again hesitantly. "But I couldn't go back to solitary confinement."

Just like that, that something shattered.

"I couldn't go home!" she snarled. "For four years I wandered the realms, pretending to be someone I'm not to stay safe. I had _no one_. Even Heimdall, if he was watching me, never found his way to me. And I suppose I never will know if he was, will I? I never saw four of my closest friends again. Because of _you_. Because you sentenced me to my own solitary confinement to evade yours."

Loki stared, mouth opening and closing, searching for something to say. But even Asgardians had yet to invent words stronger than _I'm sorry._ And clearly he wasn't allowed to _be_ sorry about this.

She shoved past him. "How do I get out of here?"

"What, just like that? You would give up paradise so easily?"

"Paradise doesn't exist, Loki. Only illusions and reality. And I pick reality every time."

"Some illusions are good," he muttered defensively, rubbing his white skin. Louder, he said, "One more question. You were suspicious of me for nearly the entire two weeks, yet in four years, no one else ever confronted me – why did you not tell anyone?"

Sif's steps faltered, nearly bringing her to a halt.

She continued on without answering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're now sitting here thinking that I think that Sif's paradise is simply a romantic relationship with Thor, no, I don't, that's just a bonus for her. (And I really wanted to write a mid-battle kiss scene, even if it wasn't for my actual ship)
> 
> Anyways it was nice writing less-depressed Thor but he still hurts me


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imma be honest here, this chapter was nothing but an excuse for me to write some sister/mother Gamora content. And fluff and humor in general. Until... hehe

Gamora offered her hand. "I'm Gamora."

Sif shook it. "Sif. Loki says the world needs us."

"The universe does," Gamora corrected. She pointed at the door closing behind the two Asgardians. "Sorry, but is that a double-bladed sword?"

Sif pulled it from behind her back, giving it a twirl and making Loki skitter to the side before summoning the blades. "Indeed it is," she said. "The finest blade in all of Asgard."

Carita bolted from her hilt, seemed to stare at Sif's sword for a moment, and transformed into a double-bladed sword that was larger, sharper, and more elegant. Sif frowned. Loki grinned proudly, reaching to hold her. "That's my girl."

She twitched away from his fingers, making Loki waver.

He swallowed, dropping his hand. "Um, who are we finding next?"

Gamora shrugged. "I don't know."

Sif sheathed her sword. "I say we just find the other person connected to the Stone and then leave."

"No," Loki said. "If I'm right about her, then she won't want to leave any more than I do. Perhaps even less than I do. The two of you will need backup besides us."

"You're right," Gamora agreed. "I assume, when we leave, we'll pop out near the Soul Stone, which likely means we'll be near Thanos. We'll need to be ready to fight."

"I was the first to dissolve – who else is left?"

Loki tilted his head, thinking. "Assuming I was the last to dissolve… The survivors I know of are Thor, Rocket, Nebula, Stark, Rogers, Bruce, Valkyrie, Rhodey, Natasha, and Okoye."

Gamora bit her lip. "Rocket will be heartbroken, and… I don't know what Nebula will do. She's very slow to trust."

Sif glanced at Loki. "Thor won't be doing so well either."

"Rogers, Stark, and Okoye lost a lot too," Loki said, stubbornly not acknowledging the loaded look. "I don't know how much functional backup you'll have on the outside."

Gamora scratched her head, an idea forming as she remembered why Loki had insisted on picking up Sif. "My mother said not to choose the team with _my_ heart – she said nothing about anyone else's."

"What does that mean?" Sif asked.

"It means once I'm back, I know Nebula will stay and fight. And Rocket will need us to find Groot. As for giving the others that same motivation… I never met them."

"Peter," Loki said suddenly. "Not your Peter," he added at Gamora's sharp look. "Stark came back from Titan with a spider boy, and based on the way they were acting when Peter started dissolving, that boy is the key to Stark's heart. And once you have Stark's heart on your side, victory is assured."

"And you know this from personal experience?" Gamora teased.

Loki pursed his lips.

"Anyways, I think that'll suffice," she continued. "The Stone will track and fight us, so we need to focus on speed - keeping our numbers down is probably best. Loki, who's closest?"

Loki closed his eyes to concentrate. After a moment, a golden glow started to emanate from beneath his eyes.

"Is that normal?" Gamora asked.

But Sif just looked equally confused. "Definitely not."

"Would you two shush? I'm concentrating."

They fell obediently silent, exchanging a glance. Even Carita seemed concerned, shrinking back to her dagger form and hovering protectively near his shoulder. But when he reopened his eyes and they were their normal blue, she slipped back into her holster.

"Groot's closest," Loki reported, gesturing off to his right.

"Good," Gamora said. "He should be easiest to convince – all he's ever known is us."

And indeed it was. It tugged on Gamora's heartstrings, glancing into the dining room to see Peter and Yondu laughing together, but that was the only difference from reality. Groot agreed readily enough to accompany her, brightening instantly upon seeing Loki. He ran up to hug the sorcerer. "I am Groot."

Loki smiled a little, awkwardly patting Groot's back. "I'm sorry it didn't work."

Groot shook his head. "I am Groot."

Gamora gently pulled the teenager away. "You tried to save his life?" she asked Loki.

He shrugged, dropping his gaze. "I saw him dissolving and I just… reacted. The snap took me before it could work, though."

Gamora smiled softly. "Thank you."

Sif ducked her head, lifting a hand and pretending to scratch her eyebrow to hide it from Loki, but Gamora definitely caught the shadow of a smile crossing her face. "All right, where's Peter?" Sif asked.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked hopefully.

"Not Uncle Peter," Gamora answered. "A different Peter."

Groot's shoulders sagged. "I am Groot."

Gamora squeezed his shoulder. "We'll get him back too. It'll just take a little longer."

Loki had his eyes closed and glowing again, but this time, Sif couldn't stay quiet. She tugged him to her and pried open one eyelid, squinting at the light. "Exactly how connected to this Infinity Stone are you?"

Loki batted her away from his face, arching an eyebrow at the hand on his shoulder, prompting Sif to snatch it back to her side. "Very, apparently. And don't ask me why again, because I don't know."

"You really don't, do you?" Gamora murmured.

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Did your mother tell you?"

"You did. Not in so many words, but-"

"Look, if this is about my sorcerer comment, that was just snark. Wouldn't it have picked an actual hero like Strange?"

"I am Groot."

Loki stared at the tree. "I'm not-"

"What was Strange doing when he dissolved?" Gamora asked.

"Uh… telling everyone that this was the only way."

"So he was giving up," Gamora surmised. "You, on the other hand, were trying to save Groot. You dissolved a hero, Loki."

"I did _not_ -"

"In the eyes of the Stone you did," Sif countered. "So now you must prove it right."

Loki's expression hardened. "I'm _not_ leaving with you." He marched past the trio. "Peter's this way."

"I am Groot?"

"He's just a little conflicted, that's all. Go follow him," Gamora said, nudging Groot forward.

She glanced back at Sif, who fell into step beside her. "What exactly is waiting for him in his illusion?" Sif asked.

"All of his friends. A whole family that loves him. The woman he loves. A world with no prejudices." Gamora scrubbed her hand over her face. _We need him. Thor needs him. But…_ "Nothing we can compete with."

"He won't even go back for _Thor_?"

Gamora shook her head. "He thinks he has a perfectly good option back in his illusion, and the real one isn't here to try changing his mind. You, on the other hand, are."

"Oh, no," she said hurriedly. "He wouldn't listen to me even if we were on good terms."

"And how much did he listen to Thor?"

"Hardly ever."

"Thor was enough to convince him to tolerate my presence, and even to show how exhausted and injured he was while I was in the room, even though all he knew from me was torture," Gamora told Sif. "He wants to listen to you, I know he does. You just have to give him a reason to."

Sif looked away. "They've made up. Besides, he has to realize he screwed up first."

"If you hear him out, you'll probably realize that he _does_ realize that."

"Peter's here," Loki called, stopped a few yards away in front of a red-and-blue door covered in spiders crawling along a silhouetted city skyline. "And I can hear every single word you two are saying."

"I'll go in," Sif volunteered, completely ignoring Loki, leaning over him to grab the handle. "You three stay out here."

"Why just you?" Gamora asked.

Sif pointed. "You two are aliens he's never met. You're a villain who invaded his planet. Meanwhile, I'm a known friend of Midgard."

"Excuse you, I was there in the battle against Thanos," Loki argued.

"No offense, but if this kid doesn't remember being a superhero, neither of you are gonna work," Gamora pointed out. "We should all go in."

"Fine," Sif grumbled.

She swung the door open, revealing a small white house across the street, lit by morning sunlight. It was fairly shabby with a tiny yard, but the lawn was freshly mowed and the bushes manicured and flowering. The porch furniture looked comfortably worn and clean. As they watched, a teenaged boy stepped onto the porch, slinging a backpack over his shoulders.

A small woman with brunette curls and kindly hazel eyes leaned out after him, holding out a brown paper bag. "You're still going to Ned's after school, right, Peter?"

"Yeah, Mom," Peter answered, stuffing the bag into his backpack. "And Uncle Ben is picking me up from there?"

"Yup," his mother confirmed. She shook her head. "Campus tours. I can't believe my baby boy is a junior."

He grinned. "MIT, here I come."

"Not if I kiss you to death first," she threatened playfully, pulling him into a hug and peppering his head with kisses.

"Mom!" he protested, giggling as he wriggled to extricate himself from her grip. "I gotta go catch the bus."

"Have fun at school," she called after him as he jogged away.

As she turned to go back inside, she seemed to spot them, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She opened her mouth to call out again, but Loki swept his hand up. A shimmering, semi-transparent golden wall appeared in front of their little group. The mother blinked, rubbed her eyes, squinted at where they stood, then shook her head and went inside, muttering to herself.

"I am Groot?"

Loki looked curiously at his hands. "I think I just stopped her from seeing us."

"You think?" Sif said dubiously.

"I've been in this Stone for a few hours, forgive me for not exactly being an expert on it," Loki snapped.

"All right, stop arguing so we can go get the boy," Gamora interrupted before Sif could retort. "Peter!"

He stopped midway through putting his second earbud in, turning around in confusion. It took him a moment to take in her green skin and the daggers on her hips, but once he did, his stance changed immediately. He planted his feet, lifting his arms with his palms up, his two inner fingers seemingly ready to press down on his palm.

"Who are you? Are you an alien? Because that's really cool, but if you're, like, an evil alien-"

"She's a friend," Sif said, catching up.

Peter's jaw dropped a little, his hands sinking in his awe. "Lady Sif? You're here? In Queens? How? Why? Wha- Is that Loki?"

"He's also a friend," Gamora said quickly. "He's had a change of heart recently."

Peter glanced between them, his eyes going wide as he noticed Groot. "I mean, I'm all for people getting second chances, but this kinda seems like a job for Spider-Man. Who I am not. I am just a teenage boy whose parents do not live in that little white house- Um. You didn't hear that last bit."

Gamora chuckled. "No, I didn't. But we're here for you, Peter."

He raised his hands again. "You're not gonna abduct me, are you? I mean there aren't really any crops to make a crop circle but is that even legit?"

"I am Groot?"

"Ok, did that tree just talk? Is it walking?"

"His name is Groot," Sif said. "Look, the universe is at stake, and we need your help."

Peter straightened up, but he looked no less wary. "As cool as it would be if Lady Sif and some other aliens needed my help, this all sounds too good to be true."

"Believe me, it's the opposite," Loki finally spoke up. "I can show you."

"How exactly?"

Loki demonstrated by putting his hand on Gamora's forehead.

Peter furrowed his brows. "You wanna Vulcan mind meld with me?"

"I… Maybe? What's a Vulcan?"

"Oh, they're a fictional alien- wait, they're actually fictional? Aw man."

"Can you just let him show you?" Sif demanded impatiently. "We don't have all the time in the world, here."

Peter hesitated a moment more, then fully lowered his hands. "If Lady Sif trusts you…"

"I wouldn't say that," Loki said. Before Peter could splutter out a protest, he planted his palm on the boy's forehead.

Instantly, terror and agony flooded his young eyes. He wrapped his arms around himself, staggering back from Loki's touch. When the sorcerer, who suddenly looked as startled as Peter had upon noticing them, made no move to catch him, Gamora darted forward. He fell into her arms, trembling.

"I _died_ ," he whimpered.

Gamora lowered him to his knees, rubbing his arm. "We all did," she murmured.

"It hurt you, though," Loki said, a wobble in his voice as he touched his stomach. Sif reached for him before seeming to remember she wasn't in the mindset to help him. "It- Why did it hurt you?"

"My spidey sense saw it coming," he rasped. "And my healing factor tried to stitch me together."

Peter looked up sharply, tears welling in his eyes as his gaze landed on the little white house. "Mom," he whispered. "Dad. Uncle Ben. I- how are they here?"

"We're in an Infinity Stone," Gamora explained gently. "This is an illusion, a paradise it created from your memories."

"You want me to leave it, don't you."

And suddenly, his voice was flat. Too flat. Gamora recognized that tone from her own Peter, in the early days after Ego's betrayal and Yondu's death – this human boy had suffered much already. _And we're asking him to suffer even more._

_Why does winning always seem to cost so much?_

"I…"

But words failed Gamora. She looked to the others, silently asking someone to chime in.

Loki took a breath and crouched, bringing himself to Peter's level to look him in the eye. "Mr. Stark needs you."

Peter looked up at Loki, then back to his home, longing and logic warring in his eyes. "Aunt May and Ned – do you guys know…?"

"If they're in here, then we'll save them," Sif assured him. "And if they're out there, they're waiting for you."

Peter bit his wobbling lip. "Ok," he whispered. "I'll- I'll go with you. Just… let me send a few texts first."

"Of course," Gamora murmured. "Take your time."

He pulled a black phone from his pocket and typed three texts with shaking thumbs:

_I love you, Dad._

_I love you, Mom._

And, finally, a tear splashing onto his hand:

_I love you, Uncle Ben._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to formally announce that I was tempted to skip over Peter's convincing scene but was told to write it so tHAT IS TOTALLY NOT MY FAULT OK


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! This is kind of a rest chapter, nothing terribly angsty, some joking around, only a tiny bit of plot. And then the action will start picking up next chapter! I'm looking forward to getting back to some fight scenes. (I honestly don't know if they'll be in the next chapter or not, I just know that, at some point soon, I will be writing fight scenes.)
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: There IS a single Ant-Man and the Wasp spoiler in here. It's very tiny, just a sciency term taken from a single line that was treated as more joke than serious warning, but I know any UK readers won't be able to see it until August, so I'm just giving you a heads-up. I am doing everything I can to keep this spoiler-free for y'all, though.

In Shuri's lab, Tony bent over the device Hope had brought, a black cube with a handprint scanner on four sides and a blinking operating panel on top. He had one side open, fixing a few last wires into place, Shuri doing the same across the table, with Hope overseeing and advising.

"How does this thing work again?" Rhodey asked.

"The quantum realm contains time vortexes," Hope explained. "This reaches into the realm, searches for one that takes you where you want to go, and effectively pries it open just enough to suck you through."

"It's going to feel weird, isn't it?" Steve asked.

"No idea," Hope answered bluntly. "This is technically going to be- no, Tony, that wire goes there- yeah, that's it. Anyways, this is technically going to be its test run."

Shuri clicked the cover of her side back into place, picking up the screwdriver to finish. "Sweet. Can I go?"

"Absolutely not," Ramonda stated. "Your place is here, daughter."

"I never get to have any fun," Shuri muttered.

"Building a time machine isn't fun?" Tony teased the teenager. _Peter's gonna be so mad he missed this._

"No, it _is,_ I just wanna go kick ass-"

Ramonda pinched her daughter's arm. "Language."

"I thought that was Steve's line?" Natasha taunted.

Steve threw his hands up. " _Three years._ It's been _three years,_ Nat."

"Three years should be nothing to a man of your advanced years," Natasha retorted. Clint, huddled in tense silence in her arms, cracked a smirk.

"Is this what you are always like?" Okoye asked.

"No," Steve said.

"Yes," Tony said simultaneously. They exchanged a glance.

"No wonder you Avengers never get anything done," Okoye concluded.

"Hey!" Tony protested.

Shuri laughed.

"All right, I'm done," Tony announced, setting down his screwdriver. Hope typed in a code, multicolored lights flaring to life as the machine began to whir quietly. Everyone fell quiet, leaning in a little, curiosity and guarded hope mingling in eyes barely dry of tears.

"Who is going?" Shuri asked, without even a hint of envy in her voice.

"Me," Steve said.

"And me," Tony said.

"That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Okoye checked.

"Absolutely not," Tony confirmed, slipping on the nanite jacket Rhodey had gone to grab while they worked.

"I can go," Rhodey volunteered. Tony pretended to miss the significant look he shot at him.

"Count me in," Clint finally spoke, rising.

"Where are we actually going?" Steve asked. "Or, I guess I should ask _when_ are we going?"

Hope tapped the machine. "This'll take you around Earth, but not off-world. You can't get to Titan like Stark said."

"Which means we need to wait until Thor gets back," Tony sighed.

"No," Clint insisted. "I'm sick of sitting around. I need to _do_ something."

"You could go after an individual Stone," Shuri suggested. "If Thanos loses even one, we'll get the dissolved back."

"The Time Stone," Tony said. "That's been on Earth the whole time. And if we have that and we get Strange back, we can save Asgard, too."

"Asgard was destroyed for the Tesseract," Natasha pointed out. "If you grab that, Loki and Heimdall and all the rest will never die in the first place."

"And we do know the best time to steal it," Clint added.

"All good points," Steve agreed. "Are we all in?"

"Just one thing," Tony said. "If we're going back to the moment I think we're going back to, we'll need someone sneaky. Someone tiny."

Everyone turned to Scott and Hope. "I'll go," Hope said.

"Except we need you here in case this thing breaks," Tony said.

"I've got this, Hope," Scott promised, coming over to kiss her cheek. "I'll go live out a thief's dream, and you can stay here and be a nerd."

Hope lightly slugged his arm. "This nerd can kick your ass."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way. But, ah, one of you gentlemen is going to have to stay behind."

Clint crossed his arms stubbornly. Tony glanced between Steve and Rhodey, then let out a sigh. "I know you wanna come, Rhodey, but-"

Rhodey caught his arm. "You are _not_ leaving my sight, Tones."

"I won't go into self-destruct mode," Tony promised, meeting Rhodey's intense stare. "But I need to go, and you need to rest. All right?"

Rhodey hesitated.

Clint clapped a hand on Tony's shoulder, prompting surprised glances from both him and Rhodey. "I will personally kick his ass if he tries anything uncharacteristically stupid, Rhodey. I'm not losing another kid today."

"I am _not_ -"

"Eh, you do act like one," Rhodey said.

"Says the man who tricked Dr. Banner into bowing to T'Challa," Okoye reminded the room.

Rhodey waved a dismissive hand, suppressing a grin. "I'm holding you to that, Clint."

Clint dipped his head. "I'll do my best."

Scott went to put on his suit. When he returned, the four men gathered around the cube, each placing a hand on one of the scanners. Hope typed in the coordinates. "Good luck," she murmured, flashing a brave smile at Scott.

She hit enter.

The machine yanked Tony forward, the world exploding in a rainbow of sparks.

\-----

Mid-trip, it occurred to Thor that marching straight into a Reality-Stone-toting madman's home planet was maybe not a good idea. Luckily, they landed amidst dusty ruins, not a hint of life in sight. Just a breeze moaning along, toying with the dust their landing kicked up. Nebula flexed her fist.

"This is where we lost."

Her words met heavy silence, even the breeze unable to respond. _If they hadn't given up the Time Stone… Vision and Wanda's sacrifice would not have been in vain. Sif and Loki would be here._

_If Tony and the others manage to recover the Time Stone…_

Rocket rested a paw on her knee. "You didn't lose alone."

"Gamora did."

_No. They're gone. You must move on._

Thor gestured across the landscape. "Where's your ship?"

Nebula swallowed, lifting her chin. "I think I saw it… over there."

She took the lead, Rocket and Thor close behind her, Valkyrie bringing up the rear. The others had landed it beyond a ring of rubble, more than tall enough to hide it and far too wide to consider going around. So up they climbed. Rocket started off bounding easily between landings, but as the footholds grew shakier, he settled for hitching a ride on Nebula's back. Neither surviving Guardian protested.

Finally, they reached the ship. Nebula and Thor paused in the threshold, Valkyrie's hand on Thor's arm, but Rocket bolted through fast as lightning, headed upstairs. Moments later, a song, soft yet upbeat, filtered through the ship.

_Ooh-oo child_  
_Things are gonna get easier_  
 _Ooh-oo child_  
 _Things'll get brighter_  
 _Some day, yeah_  
 _We'll get it together and we'll get it all done_  
 _Some day_  
 _When your head is much lighter_  
 _Some day, yeah_  
 _We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun_

Nebula nodded and headed inside, going to a different part of the ship than Rocket. Thor didn't stray too far, letting the ship's residents have their chance to say goodbye in private. He simply went to the last place Loki had been, resting a hand on the back of the chair.

_Thor held his hand up behind him, letting his lightning swirl around in his palm, twining up his arm. "God of Thunder."_

_"Woah," Mantis breathed._

_"Wait," Rocket said, "if you're the God of Thunder, shouldn't you control, I dunno, thunder?"_

_"Thank you!" Loki exclaimed._

_"Seriously?" Thor sighed._

_"I've been telling you that for over a thousand years," Loki pointed out._

_"Oh, just sit down," Thor grumbled._

"Reminds me of Sakaar," Valkyrie said, going over to the table and picking up a glass that read _Galaxy's #1 Mom._

"Do you miss it?" Thor asked.

"The basically unlimited booze and lack of obligations beyond punching people, yes. But fighting for Asgard again, however long it may last… Nah, I wouldn't give it up."

"Even if it kills you?"

She smiled bittersweetly. "I have everything to die for, Thor. I don't think I'd mind living, not anymore, but dying wouldn't be a shame either."

"But you are holding up all right?" he checked.

She laid a hand over his and the chair, squeezing both. "All I ask for is someone worth fighting beside, and someone worth dying for. Luckily, neither of you boys are your father."

Thor chuckled. "Harsh."

"You're not disagreeing."

"No, no I'm not. But he was my father, for better or for worse."

"I'll lay off the jokes," she promised. "On the condition that I'm allowed to tell you when you _are_ acting like him."

"I welcome it," Thor assured her.

"Was he a good parent?" she wondered. "To you and Loki. Did he ever learn from Hela?"

"Not really," Thor said. "I'm pretty sure the best bit of parenting I got from him in our later years was actually just Loki in disguise."

Valkyrie laughed. "Oh, the irony in that."

Thor picked up the glass, brushing a thumb over the words. "He would've been a good parent. In a few centuries, anyway."

He could practically see the response ready on her tongue, trying to break free, about how they were still fighting, still not giving up on the dead, but she only smiled through tight lips and turned away.

The music shut off, followed by Rocket descending down the stairs, a pack slung over his shoulder. "Sorry about that. It just… feels too empty in here without the tunes. Kinda surprised Peter left the Zune here, but I guess he had other things on his mind."

"What else did you get?" Thor asked.

"Some old book Peter got from his mom that he used to read to Groot, Mantis's favorite necklace that Drax gave her, Drax's drawing of his wife and daughter, and… can I have that glass?"

"Oh, sure," Thor said, handing it over.

"Thanks," Rocket said, tucking it carefully into the pack. "Groot and Mantis got this for Gam's birthday a couple years back. She said it was her favorite thing, except for-"

"These," Nebula finished, coming downstairs with a pair of swords in hand. Their hilts appeared black at first glance, but shimmered fuchsia and emerald as they caught the light. One blade had something etched into it, a sentence in a language Thor only vaguely recognized.

Rocket smiled softly. "Peter's one-year anniversary present to Gam. He learned her native language to write that sentence. And to have conversations with her in it, but that sentence was the start."

"They're gorgeous," Valkyrie murmured appreciatively. "May I?"

Nebula hesitated a moment, then handed over the unengraved one. Valkyrie held it carefully, testing the balance and giving it a few small swings. "I stand corrected – they're _exquisite_."

"He saved up for the whole year, and they were the _one_ secret he managed not to spill," Rocket explained. "And let me tell ya, the two of us looked _very_ out of place in the city he ordered them from. The shopkeeper almost kicked us out until he proved he could afford her work. But it was the only non-Terran source of vibranium, and he wouldn't pay for anything weaker."

"He must've loved really loved her," Valkyrie murmured, giving the sword back to Nebula.

"More than anything," Nebula said, sheathing the swords in an X behind her back. "And she loved him just as much. She never _stopped_ talking about him half the time."

"They could be annoying about it," Rocket allowed. "But Mantis loved it. So did Groot, before he hit the 'parental PDA is disturbing' phase."

The duo fell silent, gazing around the ship that held their memories with drooping shoulders. Thor let them have a moment before gently clearing his throat. "Eitri should be finishing soon. We should go."

Rocket shook himself. "Right. We can get the ship later, assuming no one steals it while we're off savin' the universe yet again."

He tried to sound nonchalant about it, and Nebula tried not to react at all, but they both stuck close together as Thor carried them back to Nidavellir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a real life note - I've officially committed to my own novel based off Norse mythology co-starring Loki, because rewriting IW and writing A4 aren't enough for me apparently. And seeing as I need to make money off that, and I'm already very passionate about those characters, it will be taking up my time and effort. I am still very dedicated to this fic, and have every intention of doing my best to finish it in a timely manner, but real life does take priority. (I'd say unfortunately, but I really do love those OCs, even though it hasn't even been a week since I decided to do this.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have SO been looking forward to getting to this point. ~Things~ can finally start ~happening~

Tony hit the pavement on hands and knees. Staggering, the world spinning, he crawled to the nearest broken hole and heaved into it. As he finished, gasping for air, he scrubbed at his eyes, ridding them of the last traces of the dizzying rainbow of the quantum realm. Finally, he sat back, checking on the others.

Steve was standing, looking a little pale, but otherwise nowhere near as bothered by the brutal trip. He was standing at the edge of the alley they'd landed in, peering out at the street, dust still floating in the air from the Chitauri invasion. He looked back as Tony's gasping breaths eased, but Tony wasn't the only one he was waiting for.

Clint lay curled up on the ground, chest heaving, clutching at his head. Scott, the only one who'd had the protection of a suit, knelt beside him, patting his shoulder. "You're ok, buddy. Just think, one day you can lie and tell Lila all about your heroic arrival in the past to save the universe."

Clint just groaned.

"He is fine, right?" Tony checked.

"No," Clint moaned.

"Like Hope said, this was a test run," Scott said. "But I didn't react well the first time I shrank, either. He just needs a minute."

"I thought you said-" Steve started.

"I did _great,_ I mean, it was Hope who-"

Tony arched an eyebrow.

"All right, I lied," Scott mumbled. "Sorry Cap."

Steve shook his head in amused exasperation and returned to peering down the street. Using the wall for support, Tony pulled himself to his feet and joined him. Cracked and littered with debris, the street was devoid of life. Except a ways to the left, where a green-and-black clad figure sat huddled on the sidewalk, chained to a familiar hammer.

"Looking back, leaving him there was probably not one of our best ideas," Tony admitted.

"Did we ever have a good one?" Steve wondered.

"Nope," Tony said wryly, withdrawing into the shelter of the alley. Steve followed, shooting a glance at Clint, who had uncurled a bit. Tony ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck as heavy silence fell between them.

Steve took a breath. "Tony-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tony interrupted, looking up at the old soldier.

"I didn't know how-"

"How to tell me?" Tony finished sharply. "How long did you have to figure it out, Rogers? A day? A week? More? Less?"

"Two years. But-"

" _Two years_?" Tony said, almost yelling before remembering they were hiding. "You- you knew that Barnes murdered my mom and dad – _your_ _friend_ – for _two years_ and you _didn't tell me_?"

"It wasn't Bucky-"

"I know!" Tony snapped. "I know that now-"

"But you didn't!" Steve finally cut him off. "You didn't know that in Siberia, and that's exactly what I was afraid of. I was _protecting_ my friend, T-"

" _It's Stark_ ," Tony hissed. "And I was your friend. Rhodey was your friend, and he's paralyzed. Wanda was your friend, and I found her in a straightjacket and shock collar. Clint was your friend, and he was cut off from his family."

"I got them out, didn't I?"

"You did," Tony said. "And I'm damn glad, especially for Wanda's sake. But what would've happened if she and Vision had been closer to help when they were attacked? Would she have had to kill him, or would we have been able to get the Stone out of his head? What would've happened if you or Sam or Clint or Natasha had ended up on Titan with us? Like I said, we only needed one more person to get that damn Gauntlet off. We could've _ended_ Thanos before the snap, and your precious Barnes would still be here."

"The airport battle had nothing to do with Bucky," Steve pointed out. "And even if it had, if you had just _listened to me_ -"

_"None of this would've happened if you had just listened to me!"_

_"I did listen, kid. Who do you think called the FBI?"_

"I know that too, damn it! Do you think I haven't thought about that every damn day for two years? But if _you_ had told me _before_ Siberia-"

" _You_ attacked _us_ ," Steve growled. "All right, I should've told you. But you played right into Zemo's hand, Stark – _you_ are not blameless for how separated we were yesterday. If the three of us had held together, with T'Challa's testimony to back us up, instead of him having to hide us all away in Wakanda because none of us knew if you would help? Imagine how things could've turned out then."

"I-"

"Um, guys?" Scott said hesitantly.

"What?" they both snapped, turning on him.

Clint stepped in, placing a firm hand on both men's chests and pushing them apart. "You two can get divorce counseling later. Right now, we have to focus on saving half the universe. Not to mention our families. So put the lovers' spat aside _now_."

Tony crossed his arms and looked back down the street. "All right, we're still eating shawarma. Scott, do your thing."

Scott watched them a moment longer. Then his helmet snapped shut and he disappeared, followed a moment later by an ant flying past their feet. Clint took advantage of the brief distraction to push fully between them, taking his own look down the street.

"Did we seriously just leave a supervillain in the middle of the street?"

"We did," Steve said, shooting one last glance at Tony before turning away.

"Damn, we were idiots," Clint muttered.

Tony took a step back, closing his eyes and taking a step back. _But you played right into Zemo's hand, Stark_ – you _are not blameless for how separated we were yesterday._

_He's right,_ Tony realized, hand going to the pocket that had carried the burner phone for two years. The ever-present burden that Steve had reached out, but it had taken the end of the universe for Tony to even pick up the olive branch. That his two years spent fighting Ross to keep the others from being hunted like deer had amounted to a grand total of nothing. Because he never picked up the damn phone.

And now Wanda, and Sam, and Bucky, and T'Challa, and Natasha, and Clint, and Vision… They had paid the price after all.

A door banged open, followed by Thor shouting, "Who has taken the Tesseract?"

"Sounds like Scott," Steve said, voice dropping to a whisper.

Loki pointed in their alley's direction.

"That _snitch_ ," Tony whispered as Thor turned in their direction, apparently still trusting his brother.

Clint hauled them against the wall, pinning them there. "I've seen _Harry Potter_ enough times to know them seeing us isn't a good idea."

Scott suddenly appeared in the alley entrance, clutching the Tesseract's titanium case. "Time to go!"

Tony fumbled in his pocket for the devices Hope had given them to return to their own time. He strapped it to the back of his hand, a single blue button gleaming and ready to be activated. He reached for it. "Are you guys rea-"

Deeper in the alley, something landed with a _boom_.

Tony stiffened, glancing at Clint to his left. "Do I want to look?"

Clint stared up, swallowing. "Absolutely not."

Tony did anyway. Slowly, he turned his head. First, he saw a maroon-and-gold armor-clad leg, thick as a tree trunk. His gaze travelled up the barrel of a larger version of a Chitauri weapon, held in a pair of massive purple fists. And finally, it landed on a wrinkled face, leering down at them.

"Well," Tony said. "That didn't happen six years ago."

"Oh, you guys see it too?" Scott said in a squeaky voice. "I thought I was hallucinating."

"The Tesseract," the Titan snarled. "Give it to me."

Tony all but punched the button on his fist, the last of the four to do so.

Nothing happened.

For any of them.

"I hate technology," Clint stated.

"Run!" Steve yelled.

They bolted down the alley, almost mowing down Thor as he reached them. Tony, Steve, and Clint rushed to hide their faces, and Scott pointed down the alley, blurting out "Alien!" to buy them a second. Thor noticed the Titan and immediately shifted to battle stance with a snarl.

They turned right, away from Loki. Tony distinctly heard himself yell, "Thor, the Tesseract!" even though no words left his tongue, which was, to say the least, really weird. It spurred him on, though he stayed behind Scott, trying to hide the case from-

_Boom._

_Boom._

_Boom._

Tony skidded to a halt, nearly smacking into Scott as three more Titans landed in front of them. Their numbers grew boom by boom, until they stared down a dozen Chitauri rifle barrels.

"How does Thanos know we're here?" Steve demanded, throwing an arm in front of Scott.

"Lord Thanos knows all," the lead Titan answered, pointing with his rifle at the case. "Hand it over, and we'll leave."

"Oh, like we believe _that_ -"

Familiar repulsors flew by overhead, prompting Tony to throw his hood on. Past Tony landed in front of their group, aiming his damaged repulsors at the Titans. "One alien invasion per day, raisins. _Leave._ "

Tony grabbed Scott, shoved him to the rear, turned him around, and pushed him forward. He stumbled, then started running. The rest of the past Avengers ran past them, suiting up as they raced to join past Tony, appearing to decide that fighting off the Titans was a more pressing concern. Which was _totally_ fine with Tony.

At first, they ran straight past the still-bound Loki.

Then, the terror in his eyes registered in Tony's mind. He slammed on the brakes, spinning around to see their former enemy struggling, yanking desperately on his chains, his cries muffled by an Asgardian gag but still sounding distinctly like _Thor!_

"Stark, what are you-"

"Keep going!" Tony ordered them as he turned back, running to Loki's side.

He landed in a crouch. Loki's fear abruptly turned to threatening rage, a snarl undoubtedly forming beneath the gag, but Tony just reached to undo it. "I'm not your enemy, Loki."

Loki stared as he took the gag off, confused but trying to hide it. "What are you doing?"

Tony jerked his head at the battle now raging. "You'll do them no good here."

Loki looked down the street. "But I- Wait, _there are two of you_?"

"Long story," Tony said, turning his attention to the chains. "Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."

"What?"

Something exploded. Loki flinched, and Tony moved instinctively to cover him, summoning armor along his own back. Loki ducked his head, peering beneath Tony's arm, and in the unguarded moment, his eyes were wide and scared. Tony leaned back, considering him with furrowed eyebrows.

"You weren't here of your own free will, were you?"

Rage returned to Loki's expression. "Of course I am-"

"Not with that 'They'll kill me if they see me' look," Tony shot back. "And I know that look _very_ well."

"So what?" Loki snapped.

Tony jiggled the chain. "So, I can set you free. But you need to promise me something."

Loki regarded him warily. "What?"

Tony pointed back. "Help them. And let Thor take you in."

"Why would I _possibly_ do that?"

Tony pulled his sleeve up and showed Loki his watch, the date displayed clearly on it. "Because good things are waiting for you, I can promise you that. It's certainly not going to feel like it, but believe me, being back at the new and improved Thor's side will make everything worth it."

A few feet away, because of course those stubborn idiots hadn't kept running, Clint cried out in pain. His hands flew to his side as he collapsed, narrowly caught by Steve. Blood spread across his uniform as he struggled for breath. A glance back showed past Clint was down, a wound torn through his side.

Tony gripped Loki's shoulders. "Look, I know you're scared of Thanos. I know you're here because of him, and that they will kill you if you don't submit to the protection of an Asgardian cell. It's an _awful_ choice. But you will escape, and we will defeat Thanos. _But everyone over there needs to survive._ So I am begging you – help them. Help us. Help _yourself_."

Loki hesitated, glancing between the two Steves, the two Tonys, the two Clints, the date on Tony's watch, the discarded gag, the Titan backup that shouldn't have been there.

Steve vanished with a _pop_.

"They won't leave without the Tesseract," Loki blurted.

Tony stared at the case. _But… that's my ticket to get Pepper back. To get Peter back._

Still struggling for breath, Clint vanished as well, a faint blue shimmer hovering in his place for a second.

Tony let out a ragged sigh. "Scott, give him the case."

Just as Scott set it down, he too disappeared.

Tony didn't have time to question Loki one last time about his loyalties. He summoned a laser and sliced through Loki's chains, freeing him from Mjolnir's weight. Loki opened his mouth to say something.

That sickeningly familiar force yanked Tony away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, Russos, the team-up of Clint, Scott, and Tony is comedic gold, gIvE mE tHaT tEaM-uP iN AvEnGeRs 4. (Also bear with me as I figure out time travel ramifications, it's a complicated subject)
> 
> And. Do me a favor. And don't be rude about the CW bit. Comment on it all you want, but be polite about it. I'm trying my best, I'm tired of how it split the fandom, no Steve hate will help me be neutral, and I have zero interest in hearing anybody hate on Tony.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to put this in the last chapter - thank you to everyone who showed interest in my book! It means a lot to me, knowing you'd make the jump to my original fiction.

Loki rubbed his temples, fighting off the beginnings of a headache. He didn't know whether to blame it on his constant use of magic, or the endlessly chattering teenagers behind him, the spider boy's every ramble punctuated by an "I am Groot!" in a slightly different tone every time. It was a _nightmare_. And Gamora was _encouraging_ it.

Carita slipped from her holster and nudged him aside as a shield. He opened his eyes, stumbling aside just in time to avoid smacking into a door. Sif appeared on his other side, catching him before he could overbalance.

"I would've thought you two would love to see me embarrass myself," he grumbled, regaining his balance with a little effort.

Carita twitched away, affronted. Sif released him with a huff. "Keep talking like that and walking with your eyes shut, and we'll take you up on that."

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, swallowing back a sigh. "Thank you, I mean."

"Do you?" Sif said drily.

"I do! I'm just- you two are sending mixed signals."

"There's a difference between wanting to see you hurt, and just being pissed at you," Sif pointed out, briefly touching him again as he wobbled. Carita went to hover by her, tilting to nod.

"I tried to apologize! You practically bit my head off."

"You apologized with your words, Loki," she said gently. "I swear by the gods, I hope to believe them without a doubt one day soon, but that day is not this day. And you backed it up with excuses."

"I-"

"Understandable ones, yes," she allowed, "but still excuses. And after what I went through… after being told I could finally come home, except home was destroyed and my three closest friends are dead and I did not have the option to die alongside them… I cannot do justice to myself by accepting a flawed apology. I need to _know_ you mean it, Loki."

"Thank you for explaining," he said. "But… how am I supposed to prove myself to you?"

She smiled sadly. "I don't know."

"That's. Helpful."

Sif tipped her head. "I know."

Loki stopped beside a door featuring the silhouette of a ballerina. Her head dipped, one hand held aloft behind her, silver streaks billowing from the fingers. From the fingers of her second hand, held towards the ground, swirled clouds of scarlet. The silver and scarlet twined together behind her, overlapping a glimmering gold background painted to mimic a rippling cape.

"Here," Loki said, raising his voice to catch Gamora and the teens' attention. Carita slipped back into her holster.

Peter traced the scarlet with one fingertip, looking up at the ballerina. "This looks like Ms. Maximoff's door."

"Maximoff?" Sif said. "Isn't she-"

"The Avenger who had to kill her lover," Loki finished quietly.

"I… am Groot."

"That's why you saved her for last," Gamora murmured.

Loki touched the silver, wondering what it represented. "Yes. You will get your family back. Sif, you'll have Thor. Spider will have his aunt, and his mentor, and his friend. But Wanda… I do not know what I can offer her against paradise."

Gamora took his hand, her other arm holding Groot close. "We'll convince her. Together."

Loki arched an eyebrow at their hands. "This isn't another attempt to convince me to leave, is it?"

Gamora smiled. "Just a reminder that you're not fighting alone."

Loki let out a ragged sigh. "Are all you hero types this sentimental?"

Gamora chuckled, pushing the door open.

They stepped into a dance studio, blending into the crowd of parents with a simple illusion. On the floor stood a few rows of young kids, copying the movements of the two women at the front. One was Natasha, returned to her red-curled glory, a proud smile on her face as she watched the younger woman to her left.

It was Wanda, her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, looking utterly comfortable in her tights and ballet shoes. She moved through the steps with ease and grace, scarlet trailing from her fingertips in delicate swirls, a far cry from the destruction she had wreaked in Wakanda. She didn't smile, but contentment radiated from her being.

Her power flickered a moment, a ripple of intensity before she regained control. She glanced back, and even though he had cloaked himself as an old man, her gaze immediately found Loki. She narrowed her eyes, bringing her dance to a halt.

"We'll end early today, kids," she said brightly. " _Missis_ Natasha will take you all for ice cream."

Natasha arched an eyebrow, but she could hardly stem the cheers and race to grab their belongings. She threw on a hoodie and sneakers, then guided the gaggle of children and parents out the door, leaving the group alone.

Wanda crossed her arms, scarlet still sparking in her irises. "I'm not leaving."

Loki let his illusion melt away, hoping it would help alleviate his headache – no such luck. "The universe can still be saved, Wanda."

"I've given enough to the _universe_ ," she hissed. "Do you know what it's like, to _feel_ the mind of the person you're murdering? To- to be _connected_ to it, every fiber of your being on fire and crying at the same time, being torn apart?"

"No," Loki said, keeping his voice gentle and steady as he stepped towards her. "I can't imagine what that was like-"

"Well I'm telling you to imagine it," she said, closing the distance to glare up at him. "I was in his head, Loki. I _was_ him, in a way. From those moments, I can never doubt how much he loved me, but _god,_ he was in _agony_. Because of _me_. Because _I was tearing him apart._ From the inside. I was tearing an Avenger apart from the inside, just like _Hydra_ designed me to do."

"Wanda-"

"I've given my piece to the universe," Wanda went on fiercely. "And it took everything from me. I'm _done_."

Loki latched onto the opening. "Everything? Are you certain of that?"

"It took my boyfriend, and my parents, and-"

"But not Clint," Loki pointed out. "Or Natasha. They're both still out there."

She faltered for barely a breath before pressing on. "The universe even stole Clint's _kids_. Do you know where I was, when I wasn't avenging or dating? I was there, at that farm, playing and babysitting. I wasn't Scarlet Witch, or a kid with a tragic past, I was just _Tetka_ Wanda. And the universe couldn't even leave me my brother's namesake."

Loki took an abrupt step back. "Your what?"

"Wanda, is this man bothering you?"

Loki rubbed his eyes, making sure his headache hadn't turned to a hallucination. A man phased through the window, and he _sounded_ like Vision, with a yellow glow on his forehead that certainly looked like the Mind Stone, but- he looked perfectly human.

Wanda quickly swept away her tears, reaching for his hand with a smile. "No, Vis. He was just leaving."

"I wasn't-"

A second man breezed past him, mussing up his hair. He slid to a smooth halt between Wanda and Vision, nudging them apart a little, his pale curls undisturbed, pinning Loki with a piercing blue gaze. He almost managed to make eating a piece of candy look threatening as he said "Yes, you were."

Wanda pursed her lips but pulled away from Vision, wrapping her arm instead around the newcomer's shoulders. "Loki, meet my brother. Pietro, this is Loki. He's… an acquaintance."

Loki watched the silver streaks that had followed him fade, remembering the silver on the door, _brother's namesake_ echoing in his mind. He glanced back at the others, seeing the same thought echoing in their eyes: _Well, this just got harder._

Loki offered Pietro a tight smile. "I'm sure you're a good man, but I need to speak to your sister alone."

Loki opened his mouth to order the world to stop, but no sound left his lips. Pietro surged forward in a blur, his fist slamming into Loki's jaw. Loki went sprawling, Peter leaping out of his way just in time. Carita sprang from her holster, dagger form and quivering with rage. Pietro skidded to a halt, eyeing her warily.

In a heartbeat, Sif drew her sword, aiming at Pietro. Vision's human appearance melted away, replaced by a cape that billowed even in the still air, his Stone glowing brighter and aimed at Sif. Gamora pulled Groot behind her, gesturing at Peter to stay put on the ceiling.

Scarlet rippled around Carita and Pietro's hand, pinning both in place. "No fighting!" Wanda ordered, placing herself between Vision and Sif. "This doesn't need to escalate."

Pietro didn't fight her restraining grip, but he kept glaring as Loki picked himself up, touching his aching jaw. _Great. Now my head hurts even more._

"Stop," Loki whispered.

Wanda's breath hitched, her eyes shooting wide as Pietro and Vision froze. She spun to Loki, whipping her hands up, destructive force once again reining in the power swirling from her palms. "What did you just do?" she hissed.

"I am Groot!" Groot cried.

"Don't hurt him," Gamora translated, quickly sliding in front of Loki. "I know you don't want to leave-"

"I just _said_ -"

"We _all_ gave something up to be here," Sif interrupted impatiently. "My _planet_ was destroyed, child. My closest friends are dead, my people decimated, and the heart of the man I love belongs to another. And that boy just gave up both parents and his beloved uncle to be here."

"I gave up my people too," Gamora added, albeit far gentler. "My own parents. You're not alone in wanting to stay, Wanda. But we need to keep fighting."

Wanda dropped her hands with a huff. "You just aren't getting my message, are you?"

Loki let a little healing magic flow into his jaw. "I think I got Pietro's message," he grumbled.

Wanda bit her lip. "Sorry," she said sincerely. "He gets protective."

Her tone dipped a little on the word "gets," slowing as if to savor the present tense. "What happened to him?" Loki asked quietly. "In reality."

Wanda ducked her head. "He sacrificed himself to save Clint. That's why Clint named his son after Pietro, and why- another reason why I can't go back."

"Thor knows what it's like to lose a sibling repeatedly," Loki told her. "He can help you through this. And you can help him through losing me."

"He did help me after Pietro died… Wait." Wanda furrowed her brows. "Losing you? Aren't you going back?"

"It's a long-"

Agony seared through Loki's head. He grabbed it, his legs giving out as he screamed. He hardly noticed someone catching him, clenching his eyes shut as images flashed through his head, so many voices overlapping at dizzying speed. He buried his fingers in his hair, begging it to stop, unable to tell if he was begging silently or aloud.

_Because good things are waiting for you, I can promise you that._

_You want the Tesseract? Go get it!_

_You saved our lives, Loki._

_I can bring you more painting supplies, if you like._

_Thor is talking to the Allfather again. You saved Earth's heroes, and brought the Tesseract to Asgard – surely he'll agree to let you out._

_Thor! This one's leading the attack!_

_Our mother… I was too late, Loki. I'm sorry._

They ended there. Loki sucked in a desperate gasp as the pain finally eased, leaving him trembling and crying. He was clutching something- a hand- Gamora's hand. He let go to scrub at the tears coating his cheeks, fumbling for Carita. She let him squeeze her, buzzing reassuringly.

Gradually, voices in the present reached him again. "…ki? Loki? What's happening?"

Sif crawled over, pale herself, but otherwise fairly calm. She eased him onto his back, slipping her hand under his head. "When you were in the cell, did I visit you?"

"Yes," Loki answered. "No. I- No, you didn't, but now I remember… I remember you and Thor and Fandral, even Volstagg and Hogun. But- that didn't happen. Did it?"

"I am Groot?"

"Yes, we seem to have new memories," Sif answered, looking around at the others. "But… what prompted them?"

Loki sat up gingerly, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. "I- I think- Stark." His eyes bolted open. "In New York, that's where it changed. Titans invaded, and there was a second Stark, and Barton, and Rogers. And a new guy who tried to steal the Tesseract from… from the past Avengers."

"What? There were no- wait, why do I suddenly remember headlines about Titans in New York?" Peter exclaimed. "I read those articles a billion times. There were never _Titans_ in the battle of New York."

"Time travel," Loki said suddenly, picking up the date on Stark's watch from the blur of images. "They're traveling through time."

"They're fighting," Gamora breathed. "They're fighting for us."

_But you will escape, and we will defeat Thanos._

"They're going to go after Thanos," Loki realized in horror. He looked to Gamora, seeing the same panic seizing her. "With their dwindled numbers, they'll never beat him."

Gamora turned to Wanda. "You must help, Wanda, _please_."

"I…"

"You don't have to leave the Stone," Loki blurted. "I'm not. We just need to get them out. Help us do that – for Natasha's sake. For Clint's sake."

Wanda set her jaw. "To the exit, then."

"Time to go then," Sif said, helping Loki to his feet.

Wanda went up to Vision and Pietro, giving each one a kiss to the cheek and a whispered goodbye.

For half a heartbeat, Loki found himself wishing he'd done the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WAITED FOR SO LONG TO GET TO THIS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. I got to Pietro's part and I had to take a minute because I missed writing him so much. I miss him. Like, I swear Russos, if and when y'all take even one of the original six away from me, you better give me back my boy.
> 
> Also the bit with Wanda and Natasha dancing, I've headcanoned for so long that Nat taught her how to do that, and Wanda uses her powers like ribbons, I've just never figured out how to write it into something until now. Finally getting to write it was, like, therapeutic. I need more Nat and Wanda dang it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, uh. I tried to explain time travel logic in this. I don't. I don't know if it worked.

Thor stumbled as he landed back in Wakanda. As the Bifrost flickered around them, he buried his face in one hand, squeezing his eyes shut as images flashed through his mind. Scattered days, exhausted quiet times between battles, sitting on the other side of a shimmering golden forcefield. Sometimes he was alone, sometimes Mother was there, sometimes Sif and the Warriors Three.

Always on the other side sat Loki. Some days he was alert and hopeful, laughing and joking along with them. Some days the hope was missing, his brother hanging on to their every word like a lifeline. And other days he was listless, no joke or battle story or encouraging words able to convince him he would one day soon be free.

"Thor?"

He sucked in a breath and straightened up, gripping Valkyrie's shoulder for support. "They got their machine to work."

"Did they get a Stone?" Rocket demanded. Bruce started looking around, as if the dissolved would start popping back up around them.

Thor shook his head. "The New York battle changed, as did the following year – for me, Loki, and our friends at least – but… not much else."

Nebula's shoulders drooped, her grip on Tony's Infinity Gauntlet tightening.

Thor forced a smile, clapping her on the shoulder. "They'll at least have learned something from their trip – let's go see what it is."

He led them into the castle, though they had to run into Nakia before they managed to find the lab. Clint was huddled in a chair, staring at his side as if he expected it to fall apart; Natasha stood protectively over him. Scott, Hope, and Shuri were bent over what Thor guessed was the time machine, fiddling with it once again. Steve and Tony were on opposite sides of the room, but the furtive glances they shot at each other seemed somewhat less hostile and more awkward than before.

"What happened?" Thor asked.

"We tried to steal the Tesseract from 2012 us," Steve answered. "And now we're all just confused."

"What's confusing? You guys were supposed to stop the Titan attack," Natasha said.

"There was no Titan attack!" Clint protested. "I never almost died in New York."

"And Loki certainly never helped us," Steve added.

"Hey-" Thor started to protest. Then he stopped, rubbing his forehead. "Or… he did? What did you guys do?"

Tony turned to him, a scientist's curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Do you have two sets of memories?"

Thor closed his eyes, taking a moment to organize his whirling mind. "…Yes," he finally said, reopening his eyes. "Why? Do you not?"

"No," Scott said, straightening up from his work. "The four of us who went have one set, and everyone who stayed back seems to have another. How do you have two?"

"The Bifrost, I suppose," Thor theorized, eyeing Stormbreaker. "It's essentially a tear through space and time – if you returned to the present while we were traveling, it must've shielded us from some of the effects."

"Nice," Scott said.

"I'm totally gonna want to look into that," Shuri told him, never looking up from her work. Nakia smiled at her new queen, making her way to her side.

"You're welcome to," Thor said. "But first, walk me through what you remember – Natasha, you start."

"We were in the lab, waiting and joking around, when they finally got the machine to work," she recounted. "We discussed what to do. We couldn't go after any Stones off-world while you were gone, so we figured the Tesseract was our best chance to save both the dissolved and the Asgardians. Those four volunteered to go back, stop the Titans, and grab the Tesseract. Except when they came back, Clint seemed like he was dying with no wound, and they were all insisting Titans never invaded New York."

Thor let that sink in for a moment, then nodded to Steve.

He gestured at Natasha. "I remember most of that, except for stopping the Titans. Stark, Clint, and I waited in an alley while Scott took the Tesseract from us as we ate shawarma. When he got back, a Titan landed by us. Our return devices didn't work, so we had to run. When we ran past Loki, Stark stopped and freed him on the condition that he helped past us."

Tony took up the story. "I had to give him the Tesseract to save past us, though." He glanced at the others. "I don't suppose that changed anything?"

"He never gave up the Tesseract," Thor remembered quietly. "He tossed them an empty case, and the two of us fled to the safety of Asgard as soon as they left."

"And the Titans just never came back," Natasha finished.

"So the change is the Titans," Bruce said. "But how did Thanos know you guys were going there?"

"My guess is it's a sort of loop thing," Tony said, scratching his head. "The first time we tried going back for the Tesseract, we succeeded. So in the future, where he still had the Time Stone, Thanos countered by sending the Titans."

"But how did he beat us there, if we got there first?" Clint asked.

"Chicken and the egg," Tony answered. "In other words, we both beat each other there, because after we went back and stole it the first time, the memory would've been cemented in Thanos's head for six years, so he would've known to send the Titans once he got the Time Stone. And now we're just in an endless loop of us going back and encountering the Titans who didn't show up in the original battle."

"What the _hell_ are you saying?" Valkyrie exclaimed.

"Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff," Tony repeated. "Look, we could go in circles about this forever. What matters is that Thanos brought the Titans back."

Nebula stiffened. "But they were wiped out, between the destruction of their world and Thanos's crusades afterwards."

"That doesn't matter now that he has the Reality Stone," Thor reminded her. "I'm honestly surprised he left Titan in its ruined state."

"Really?" Scott said. "I thought fixing his homeworld would've been the first thing he did."

"Me too," Thor murmured. He rubbed his beard. Something about that felt _off_ , but he couldn't figure out what.

"Thor did hit him pretty damn hard – maybe he didn't want to risk us knowing what planet he was on," Natasha suggested.

"No," Nebula said bitterly. "He felt invincible enough to attack gods with one Infinity Stone. Now that he has all six and he's accomplished his mission, he'll be at his most confident."

"Which brings us back to figuring out how to fight him," Tony said. "Nebula, is that my Gauntlet?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, setting it on the table. The Stone sockets were lined up in two rows of three on the back of its fist, this one too small for them to be as spread out as they were on Thanos's. Tony picked it up and tried it on, flexing his fingers.

"The easiest Stone I can think of would be the Reality Stone," Thor said. "All I'd have to do is convince Sif and Volstagg to let me take care of it before they reach the Collector."

"Why not the Time Stone?" Nakia asked. "If that's what he is using to stop you from going back in time to steal the other Infinity Stones, should we not take that one?"

Natasha shook her head. "If Tony's right, then Thanos's goons will just show up wherever we go, and if we can't stop them in time, it could just lead to deaths we can't undo. No, stealing a Stone from the past is off the table."

Nebula gestured at the Gauntlet. "We kind of need an Infinity Stone for this thing to be useful. Otherwise why the hell did we get it made?"

"It's a backup plan," Tony said, taking it off. "Maybe we don't need to _steal_ a Stone – maybe we can warn one."

Clint straightened up, finally stopping poking his side. "Vision."

"We got three years to find time to warn him."

"But the Titans," Rocket pressed. "If he has another army, even if we do manage to rob him of one single Stone, we can't possibly beat him."

"No," Clint agreed. "But if we go back to the right time… we won't come out of it with just Vision."

Natasha leaned back. "You can't mean…"

"I do," Clint said sharply. "If we fail again, if we can't save Vision, I'm not bringing Wanda back into a world without him."

"Ok, I dunno who you two are talking about, but one or two more allies ain't gonna cut it against an army of giants," Rocket insisted.

"That," Thor said, "I might have an answer for."

Everyone turned to him, but he just looked to Valkyrie. "You might not want to tag along this time."

Her eyes widened. "Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

Thor squeezed Loki's helmet. "Her realm is accessible to the living, and it's the only one with the pathway we would need."

"Thor, she can't be trusted," she warned in a hiss. "You saw what she was capable of! And that's not even the _half_ of it."

"I need to see him again, Valkyrie," he pleaded. "Surely you understand that?"

Valkyrie squeezed the Dragonfang's hilt, looking away with tears in her eyes. "I do," she rasped. "Gods, I _do_. But I… Thor, I just started putting that behind me."

Thor rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know," he murmured. "Look, it might not even be _her_ realm, I'm just guessing she would've fought her way to the top. You can stay here – no one would blame you. But I _need_ to go."

"No," she muttered, swiping at her tears and laying her hand over his. "You're right, she might not be queen there. Besides, I won't leave you to do this alone."

"He wouldn't be alone," Nebula whispered. Thor turned to her, hope daring to blossom in his heart. She looked back at him, an inkling of fondness showing through chinks in her gruff mask. Then, louder, she added, "I can't let you go get yourself killed in whatever boneheaded move you're about to make."

A grin grew on Thor's face. "Please tell me I can hug you."

Nebula took a hasty step back. "Absolutely not."

Thor's smile drooped. "Oh."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Puppy eyes don't work on me."

"I- I wasn't-"

"You always do puppy eyes," Clint backed Nebula up.

"He's right," Bruce agreed.

"I do not," Thor grumbled.

"Where _are_ you planning to go, anyway?" Scott checked.

"Nowhere," Ramonda answered, walking in alongside Okoye. "Not right now. It's nearly night, and I am assuming none of you have slept in quite some time. So you are all to come to dinner and then spend eight hours in bed."

"With all due respect-" Thor started.

She turned on him with that glare unique to the mothers of belligerent children. "You _will_ eat, and you _will_ spend eight hours in bed. You can read or just lie there wide awake, but you will _rest_. The past will wait. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am," he said hurriedly, grabbing Valkyrie and Nebula and tugging them past the queen before either of them could protest.

Without raising her voice once, the queen ushered every single hero towards a mess hall. Quiet fell over the group as they ate, hovered over by Ramonda, exhaustion hitting each and every one of them in the sudden absence of relentless pushing forward. Then they trickled out of the room – Tony and Rhodey leaning on each other, Scott and Hope holding hands, Steve alone, an already-sleeping Rocket in Nebula's arms.

Thor and Valkyrie left together, guided by a Wakandan to a guest suite with two beds. Valkyrie shed her armor in exchange for a baggy t-shirt, downed one last bottle of scotch, burrowed into the blankets, and promptly started snoring. Thor shook his head affectionately before curling up on his own bed.

He pressed a kiss to Loki's helmet. "Tomorrow, brother," he promised. "Tomorrow, I will see you again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting for SO LONG to get started on the rest of this fic, like starting in the next chapter (though I haven't actually figured out which scene[s] the next chapter will be about) will be the scenes that have been eating at me since before I finished Hidden Heartbeat, I'M SO EXCITED


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me as I figure out the chapters, things have to align soon-ish and I gotta figure out how to pull it all together, but I suck at planning ahead so it's a mild mess. (For that reason I have half of chp12 already done, cause it was supposed to be part of this chapter but then things got long. Which, I know y'all wouldn't mind, but it kinda bothers me, and I wanna spread this fic out cause I kinda never wanna finish writing it.)

 

* * *

The forest of doors had given way to a literal forest of trees. It was eerily silent – no birds chirped from the branches, no breeze rustled through the leaves, no insects buzzed by their ears. The ground remained the same as in the rest of the soul world, covered in a light carpet of orange mist, and there were no fallen leaves and twigs to crunch beneath their feet.

"This doesn't feel right," Sif announced, even her whisper carrying through the trees.

Loki glanced to Wanda, and she shook her head. "We need to go this way."

"Pair up, then," Gamora ordered, drawing Groot close to her. Peter moved to Sif. "If something happens, don't lose your partner."

"Why would something happen?" Peter asked. "We're the only ones out here, aren't we?"

"We are," Gamora said. "But I was warned that the Stone would fight us. And it hasn't yet."

"Oh." Peter drew a little closer to Sif. "That's… ominous."

Wanda chuckled, and the little group set off again. The two teens still hadn't run out of conversation topics, and as they drew near it, the location of the exit grew fuzzy, harder to pin down with every step forward; Loki and Wanda often had to touch hands, combining their telepathic strength to refocus on it.

In those moments, when their walls were down and their minds had no choice but to mingle, he caught glimpses of her life. Running to a tiny, rundown kitchen, following the delicious smell of Mom's paprikash. Exhausting days training with Steve and Sam. Chasing Lila and Cooper around the farm. Quiet nights curled up in Vision's arms watching TV.

_Come back for me when everyone else is off, not before. Do you understand?_

_You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you._

_Go._

They jerked apart at that memory. Wanda, now wearing her Scarlet Witch uniform, looked away with tears in her eyes. Loki sucked in a steadying breath, remembering Thor's own last joke.

_Asgardians. You're certainly an irritating bunch._

_I learned from the best._

_Does he regret that?_ Loki wondered. _I mean… it's not the last thing he said to me, at least._

"Why aren't you going back?" Wanda asked to break the heavy silence.

_I'm his victim again._

"Everything I need is here," he said, shoving back the memory.

"I've been seeing your memories too, Loki," Wanda pointed out. "You have a good life in here, but isn't it sweeter out there, where you _know_ Thor stays because he loves you no matter what you are?"

"And what about you?" Loki snapped. "If Clint and Natasha mean so much to you, why don't you go back to them?"

Her expression hardened. "Because they can live without me – it's Clint's biological kids that matter."

" _Biological_ means nothing," Loki hissed.

She backtracked hastily. "I meant they raised them. Meanwhile they just took me under their wing because my brother died for Clint. Plus, they're _kids_. They're too young to die."

Loki snorted, glancing back at Peter. "Your human lifespans are nothing – you never live to be old enough to die."

Wanda arched an eyebrow. "Is that the God of Mischief getting protective over his human friends?"

"What? No. I'm just stating a fact."

"A fact would've sounded something like 'Human lifespans are pathetic compared to Asgardian ones.' Admit it, you care."

Loki crossed his arms. "I do _not_."

Wanda flashed him a smirk, drawing a few steps ahead. "I've been in your head, Loki. You can't lie to me."

Loki stopped to glare after her.

Something rumbled in the trees.

Carita leapt into his hand as Wanda darted back to his side, scarlet erupting in her palms. The teens' mouths snapped shut, leaving Loki more unsettled than the rumbling. Sif and Gamora drew their swords, the four adults backing up to each other to put the teens in the middle.

The thing roared.

"Loki," Sif said slowly, "tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

"I assume the Stone is pulling dangers directly from our minds, so, unfortunately-"

"What are you talking about?" Gamora demanded, raising her sword as it lumbered closer with footsteps that shook the ground.

"Bilgesnipe."

"No way!" Peter gasped. "I've heard about those, they sound so cool."

"They're not cool when they're trampling you beneath their hideous feet," Sif muttered, looking around.

Loki spotted it first, a shadowy shape plowing aside trees. "There!"

Wanda's jaw dropped. "How do we fight off _that_?"

"You don't," Sif answered.

"Get in the trees, get out of its eyeline," Loki ordered, sheathing Carita and summoning his telekinesis. "If it doesn't see you, it won't charge. Go!"

He launched into the air, Wanda a heartbeat behind. The other four ran for the trees. Peter swarmed up easily, Groot lengthening his arms to reach into the treetop and pull himself up. Sif and Gamora made slower progress, slow enough that Loki bit back a yell for them to hurry up.

The leaves stopped rustling behind them just as the bilgesnipe emerged.

It stopped to sniff the ground in grunts. It was stout in height, as wide across as a man was tall and twice as long. Its thick scales were shadow grey, its horns twisting up to double its height. Loki strengthened his magic at the sight of them – to fall on the beast's powerful armor from this height…

His magic flickered, dropping him a few inches. He swallowed a yelp, suddenly pumping more strength into it to stay afloat. But as the seconds crawled by, during which the beast continued snuffling, he continued creeping ever closer to it.

Judging by her panicked eyes, Wanda was having the same problem.

Unaware of their plight, Peter crawled towards the edge of the branch he perched on, his young face peeking curiously through the leaves at it. He pushed for a slightly better view, inching ever closer to the whip-thin tip of his branch.

He pushed too far.

With a _snap_ , his branch broke. Sif, having made her way to a neighboring branch, lunged for him. And missed.

Sending them both plummeting straight into the bilgesnipe's eyeline.

Further panic surged through Loki's veins. He had enough strength to catch one, and only one. Catching Sif might prove the apology she was looking for. And Thor needed her.

Loki shot his hand out.

He gritted his teeth as Peter's weight jerked against him, fighting not to lose his balance. Wanda caught Sif, similarly struggling to hold both herself and the Asgardian aloft. Sif and Peter were just out of eyeline, both straining for the nearest branch. Sif made it, turning immediately to reach for Peter. Loki let himself drop a few feet, trying to push Peter closer to her-

Loki's magic vanished from beneath him with a _pop_.

Loki dropped like a stone. Carita leapt from her hilt, but she couldn't hold her shield form. He just had time to think _Keep Peter floating_. Before he slammed into the bilgesnipe's horn.

Agony erupted in his leg with an echoing _crack_. He screamed, bouncing off and continuing to fall. He hit the ground face-first, stars of pain bursting across his vision. Unconsciousness threatened to consume him, but he fought it back, forced himself to look up. Peter was in the tree, held in place by Sif.

_That worked, at least._

Grunting drew Loki's attention. The bilgesnipe turned, shoving a slobber-coated snout in his face. Loki clenched his eyes shut and froze, heart racing in his chest. He heard its weight shifting, the scales on one leg clinking together, a snarl building in its throat-

"I am Groot!"

Loki's eyes snapped open. The bilgesnipe put its leg down and turned again. Towards where Groot stood, puffed up and angrily waving his arms. The beast instead aimed its snarl at the teen, who promptly took off running, away from Loki, still yelling and waving his arms. The bilgesnipe roared, giving chase.

As it disappeared, Gamora slipped out from behind a tree. She darted to Loki's side, starting to check him over for injuries. "Where did you hit it?"

"Is Groot-"

"He knows what he's doing," she interrupted, sounding like she was convincing herself as much as him. "It looked like your leg."

Loki gave in to the pain, not that he had much choice. "Left," he groaned, giving it a test twitch. He froze with a sharp intake of breath.

"Easy," Gamora soothed, running her hand down to his leg. His breath hitched at even the slight touch. "All right, there's blood seeping out. Sif, hold that still while I turn him over."

_Sif?_ Loki wondered woozily, finally noticing the other three had joined them. _When did that happen? Wait, did Gamora say-_

He yelped as they rolled him onto his back. Sif did her best to keep his leg still, but the faintest jostle sent pain ricocheting up the limb. Loki gritted his teeth and dug his fingers into the ground, fixing his gaze on the sky but wishing there were stars to gaze at.

"Damn, that's a compound fracture," Gamora realized. Loki swallowed back nausea, deciding it was best not to look. "Loki, we're going to have to set it."

Wanda came to kneel by his head. Holding her hands by his temples, she sent scarlet tendrils weaving into his mind. He expected some sort of pain relief, but instead, the sky rippled. The orange faded away, melting into a velvety black expanse dotted by twinkling silver stars. Loki glanced at Wanda, who just smiled reassuringly. "I've been in your head, remember?"

Peter pried one of his hands from the dirt and wrapped it in both of his. Loki squeezed, fixed his gaze on a series of stars that formed a lightning bolt, and nodded.

Gamora pushed the bone back into his leg with a _snap_.

Loki screamed, clamping down on Peter's hand hard enough to make the boy whimper. But his mind had fled elsewhere.

_Cold, biting metal. Kicking, pulling, fighting. Swarming black spots. Gasping, choking, suffocating. Muffled, screaming Thor. Crumpling, weakening, dying._

_"You… will never be… a god."_

Snap _._

"Loki. Loki! Loki, come back to me," Wanda pleaded, her voice echoing through the memory, coloring it scarlet.

Loki surged upright with a gasp, nearly headbutting Sif and Gamora as they bent over his leg. They started to reach for him but hesitated, his blood staining their hands. He just shook his head and buried his face in his hands, shaking like a leaf. Peter rested a hesitant hand on his back, not that that did much.

Wanda slipped her arms around him, pulling him close, guiding his face to the crook of her neck and shoulder. "It's ok," she whispered, carding her fingers through his hair. "It's ok. You don't have to be strong right now. You never have to face him again."

Loki nodded, shifting to hold onto her. She leaned her head against his, whispering, "We've died enough for one lifetime."

\-----

An hour later, Gamora settled by the fire Sif had built from twigs the teens had plucked from trees, now the only light to see by – even Infinity Stones had nighttime, apparently. Or perhaps it was simply a subtler way of slowing them down. Combined with Loki's leg, it had worked. _I hope the others are resting. Maybe Peter's spending the night on Earth, singing and dancing beneath the stars with his mother._

The others were on the other side of the flames, including Groot, who had returned confused about how the bilgesnipe had suddenly disappeared. Loki, on his back farthest from the fire with an anxious Peter beside him, had his leg bandaged by strips of Gamora's shirt, splinted by a couple more branches Groot had pried from a tree, and the whole affair tied together with Peter's webs.

"Asgardians heal fast, right?" Gamora checked quietly as Sif leaned back from her work.

"Yes," Sif answered. "But not overnight. Plunging him straight into a battle tomorrow… Maybe it's best he's decided not to leave."

"I don't know," Gamora murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest and leaning on them, "I still have hope for him."

Sif chuckled wryly, shaking her head. "He made a deal, Gamora. He sticks to those. Not necessarily in the way everyone else interpreted it, but he sticks to them."

"His words are his greatest strength, aren't they?"

"His words and his magic," Sif said. "Frigga, his mother, she taught both of us to fight, but he always chose to one-up me with distractions or illusions. The queen always praised him for it, but the Allfather…"

"I know a little of his family life," Gamora said. "He… said things when… when his guard was down."

"You mean when he was being tortured."

Gamora hugged her knees tightly, blocking out the echoes of his screams. "And when he was sleeping. But mostly… yes."

Sif let her gaze linger on him. "I did wonder… he had changed so much when Thor brought him back. In the unaltered timeline especially. He could've won thrice the battles Thor ever fought, but since he won with magic, the Allfather never would've recognized him as a greater warrior than Thor. Even I and the others had that same flaw. I knew he harbored a resentment, but the… the creature of sheer twisted _rage_ that Thor brought back from Midgard…"

"He fought," Gamora assured Sif, remembering the hardened smirk that had greeted her in the early months. "He fought like hell to stay sane. But with the knowledge that no one was coming to rescue him, that there was no way out… Even the strongest break."

"I suppose it makes sense, then, why he was so willing to banish me," Sif realized.

"And why he doesn't want to leave this place," Gamora added. Sif glanced at her, and she elaborated with "He's scared, Sif. Who do you think that 'him' was Wanda mentioned?"

"He has us, though," Sif protested. "He always has."

"Always?" Gamora challenged. "From what I gather, all of you abandoned him when he needed you most."

"He pushed us away-"

"And what did you do to stop him?"

Sif opened and closed her mouth a few times, but ultimately, she had no answer.

"He spent a year learning to operate on terror over companionship under threat of pain worse than death," Gamora pressed on. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was glad to fail on Earth because it meant he regained the protection of Asgard, however hostile his homecoming may have been. Besides, having you and Thor back, on top of new companions, didn't protect him from being essentially killed by Thanos twice in as many days. And we're asking him to risk his life yet again."

Sif dropped her gaze, letting Gamora's words sink in. Slowly, it drifted to Loki, considering him with a new understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed writing physical whump and hurt/comfort and then of course actually writing down the taking care of Loki bit didn't fit... Between this and OM, I'm understanding why whump is left to fanfic so often. I might do a separate fic that's a collection of deleted scenes and ones rewritten/extended with different POVs, maybe called Hidden Scenes.
> 
> Also y'all should check out xAdria10x on YouTube, I have been watching like nothing but their Marvel fanvids for days


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tells y'all I have half of this chapter already done* *promptly disappears for a week* I had to write a Valki angst fic for a contest, sorry! And Valki Week over on Tumblr starts Monday, so sorry if I disappear again
> 
> The second part of this does reference my fic Unlikely Bonds. I don't think you need to read it to understand the bit, just know that I added a little something to the Ragnarok final battle. To say what here would be a bit of a spoiler, but you'll know when you get there.

Loki focused his attention on Carita, trying to access her magic. He had taken the opportunity to fully stock her in the hours he had had in paradise, but now it felt like there was a dam of some sort. They could both feel it within her, but neither could access more than a shred of it. Certainly not enough to heal his leg.

"I'm sorry," Peter said for perhaps the billionth time. "I shouldn't have tried to get a closer look-"

"Peter!" Loki cut him off. "It's fine. The important thing is we're all alive. Technically," he added.

Peter blinked. "I never thought I'd be technically dead. I'm Schrodinger's spider."

"…What's a Schrodinger?"

"Oh, he was a physicist who, to point out a flaw in one interpretation of quantum mechanics, came up with the example of putting a cat in a box with a little bit of a radioactive substance and a Geiger counter. If the Geiger counter detected a single atom decaying, a device would release acid to kill the cat, but until you looked in the box, you wouldn't know if the cat was alive or dead."

Loki furrowed his brows. "Why would you do that to a cat?"

"No, no he didn't actually do that!" Peter said hurriedly. Then he paused. "…I hope he didn't actually do that."

Loki rolled his eyes at human eccentricities, returning his attention to Carita. She buzzed in frustration, guilt rolling off her in waves as she shifted to point at his leg. He laid her across his chest, stroking a soothing thumb down her hilt.

Peter nodded at Carita. "Why isn't your magic working, anyway?"

"I assume it's because the Soul Stone replenished my strength for me," Loki answered. "I don't know about Wanda's, though."

"Oh, she got her powers from the Mind Stone," Peter told him. "So maybe the Stone is just messing with Stone-granted powers in general. Ms. Gamora did say it would sabotage us. But you guys still had enough to save me and Lady Sif… Probably the part of the Stone that wants us to escape."

"That makes sense," Loki allowed, looking at the boy. _He's actually smart._

He straightened proudly, grinning.

Loki touched his stomach, remembering the dizzying agony from Peter's memory. "You seem to be handling death well, though."

Peter swallowed, but forced out a cheerful "Yup!"

"Don't pretend you're all right, Spider," Loki warned. "It does nobody any good."

Peter took a breath, but exhaled and slumped in on himself, wrapping his arms around his torso. "Are you still scared of it? Dying?" he asked in a tiny voice.

The instinctive denial sprang to his lips, but he stopped it, knowing what being surrounded by blustering warriors had done to him. "Yes," he admitted. "I am."

Peter looked at him with wide eyes, and with a flicker of a smile, Loki wondered how badly he had just shattered the boy's perception of him. "Get some sleep, Spider."

"An excellent idea," Sif agreed, coming to sit by Loki's head. Peter nodded, crawling closer to the fire to curl up.

"I thought you'd be talking swords with Gamora until you passed out," Loki teased.

Sif patted her thigh. "I came over to offer you a pillow, but if you're going to mock my hobbies…"

"I take it back," Loki said hastily. "Talk about whatever you want."

Sif chuckled, moving closer. Loki shifted to lean against her, curling up a little and closing his eyes with a sigh. She draped one arm over him, letting her fingers rest on his wrist. He didn't miss that one pressed against his pulse, but he said nothing, content just to let himself drift into sleep.

"Apology accepted."

Loki opened his eyes to stare at her. "But I would've let you fall."

She smiled, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. "Exactly. Only a hero would let their friend die to save a boy they barely know."

Loki huffed. "I'm not a hero."

"The Stone thinks otherwise," she pointed out. "So does everyone around this fire. And so does Thor."

"If this is another attempt to-"

"So what if it is? It's still true. And even if it weren't, you're everyone's friend now. You told Peter you were scared, you cried in Wanda's arms, you forgave Gamora for the torture. You've worked with us, joked with us, protected us. Maybe we don't actually care if you fight once we leave, although I do miss fighting beside you. We don't just need you to come with us, Loki – we _want_ you to."

Loki pushed himself up, wincing as his leg jostled. "I don't need any grand speeches-"

"Wait, wait!" Sif said, taking his shoulders. "Just think about it, all right? Promise me that much."

Loki bit his lip. _What harm can thinking about it do?_ "Fine."

"Good," Sif said softly. "Now lie back down, you look like crap."

"Thanks," Loki grumbled, easing back down with a groan.

"No one looks good after crashing into a bilgesnipe. Be grateful you're alive."

"Technically, we're not. We're Schrodinger's Asgardians."

"…What's a Schrodinger?"

\-----

Thor zipped up the jacket Steve had loaned him. Valkyrie was safe in her armor, but Nebula and even Rocket were also bundling up. Only Jotuns and the dead were comfortable in Hel, after all. Which, in hindsight, explained a lot about the field trip Thor and Loki had taken when they were eight.

"Who goes to Hel, anyway?" Steve asked, standing with the others who weren't preparing the machine for their own trip.

"Anyone who believes in Asgard and its gods who doesn't die fighting for their comrades," Thor answered. "Asgardians and humans are most common, but there are others."

"So is Loki…? I mean, he didn't die fighting. Did he?"

"No, he didn't," Thor said. "Not the traditional definition of it, at least. But Valhalla will make an exception if you die holding a weapon. He'll be there, with Mother and Heimdall."

"Ah," Steve said. "Well, good luck."

Thor glanced to his right, where Valkyrie had been standing in smoldering silence. "I think it's more restraint that we'll need."

"That, I understand," Steve murmured, glancing back at the palace. "God, I can't believe I almost killed him."

Thor squeezed his shoulder. "The two of you will work through this, and your bond will be all the stronger for it. I'm certain of it."

Steve smiled bittersweetly. "Your Loki metaphor again?"

"Ah, sorry about that. I was…"

"Grieving," Steve finished. "No one's in their right mind when… when they're… right after they…" He trailed off, looking at the palace again.

Thor smiled and stepped back, gesturing for the other three to gather around him. Nebula and Rocket broke away from their conversation with Natasha and Clint. Taking hold of Valkyrie's shoulder, he carried them to Hel.

They landed on a rocky outcrop beneath a sky of roiling, ash grey storm clouds. To their right was a steep crop, descending down the snowy mountainside to the rock plains below. A city of windowless huts had been carved out, sprawling around the mountain's base and as far as Thor could see. In front of them rose a castle, carved from the mountainside. It towered above them, and the brief movement of a zombie einherjar guard disappearing inside caught Thor's eye.

"She's about to learn we're here," Thor warned, adjusting his grip on Stormbreaker. Valkyrie drew the Dragonfang, clutching it so tightly her knuckles paled.

Rocket held his machine gun, aimed loosely at the massive stone door a few hundred feet ahead of them. "You're sure it's her?"

Thor gestured at the guards. "Those are the same einherjar she used to attack Asgard. It's her."

"Those aren't _einherjar_ ," Valkyrie hissed. "Einherjar die bravely in battle, not fighting their own kin."

"They were einherjar once, before she controlled them," Thor defended them. But a part of him hesitated, remembering the murals he had seen unveiled by Hela's rage. Was that the sort of bravery he wanted to honor?

Nebula unsheathed Gamora's swords, giving them a twirl as the door began to creak open. "Do we fight?"

Thor took a step forward, letting thin currents of lightning twine around him and Stormbreaker. "See what they do first," he said, checking on Valkyrie. She was holding her position.

Ten soldiers emerged from the castle, spreading out in a line across from Thor. He held a hand up in appeasement. "We wish only to speak with your queen."

The lead soldier considered him, then jerked his head towards the castle. Thor took that as an invitation to come in and gestured for the others to stay close as they were led inside. A chill settled in his bones; dripping water echoed from somewhere deeper in the stone labyrinth. He kept up the swirling lightning, lighting the corridors for the others.

Eventually, they reached a cavernous throne room, and only then did he let his lightning fade away. The walls in here were painted with blood, various trophies displayed along the walls. Torches flickered in their sconces, casting dramatic, ever-shifting shadows over the driftwood throne. More of the soldiers stood guard throughout.

On the throne sprawled Hela, one leg hooked over the right arm of her throne. She leaned on the other arm with one elbow, one hand in the air swaying to a melody only she could hear. As they approached, she cast a disdainful glance over them.

"So soon, brother?" she said. "I must admit, I had hoped to have my land to myself for a short while longer. Tell me, is the scrawny brat joining us as well?"

"I'm not dead, Hela," he deadpanned. "It takes more than a Titan with six Infinity Stones to end me."

"All six? Hm. That is impressive, I suppose. I could have dealt with him, though."

"Whatever you say," he said, wanting only to forget the new what-ifs springing through his mind. "That's why we're here."

She sighed, stilling her hand. "Do tell, I'm _so_ interested."

"I must speak with our brother, but to do that, we need to get into Valhalla."

Hela arched an eyebrow. "Well, I'm afraid you've come to quite the wrong place for that."

"No we haven't," Valkyrie interrupted impatiently. "There's a secret passage somewhere in this castle and you know it."

"Oh, that I know," Hela said dismissively. "I simply meant I'm not at all inclined to show you where it is."

"Maybe you just need some _convincing_ ," Valkyrie snarled, starting to step forward. Thor and Nebula grabbed her.

Hela didn't seem at all bothered. "Oh, yes, you're a Valkyrie, aren't you? Darn, I thought I killed all of you."

Valkyrie struggled against their grips. "Say that again, you bi-"

"Valkyrie!" Thor cut her off, letting his voice boom with the authority of a king. "This isn't about your sisters, remember?"

"It's _always_ about my sisters," she hissed. But she tore free of them and backed off, letting her burning glare speak for her.

"Look lady, everybody's got a price," Rocket said. "Even dead goddess queens."

She peered down at him. "You are a smart rabbit."

Rocket deflated under the weight of his irritation. "You damned Asgardians-"

"What's your price?" Nebula interrupted.

Hela snapped her fingers.

Part of the back wall rumbled open, causing dust and tiny pieces of debris to rain down from the ceiling. Out from the dark space beyond rolled a cage, long enough for an occupant to do a small bit of pacing. Huddled in the corner…

"Father?" Thor exclaimed.

He looked up, blinking in surprise. He wore the same ragged outfit he had died in, somehow even more ragged now. Even his stance seemed feebler.

Thor tried to move to the cage, but the guards locked spears in front of him. "Let me go to him," Thor demanded of his sister.

She sat up, leaning towards Thor. "You truly care for him, don't you?"

"He raised me, of course I do," Thor said. "Even Loki loves him."

Father winced at the name of his missing child.

"Right," Hela recalled, leaning back. "Adopted for the purpose of being a tool towards peace. That whole spiel he gave on the Bridge."

Thor remembered those moments before Surtur came, the pain and resentment joining his two siblings as Loki did everything he could to convince her to join their broken family. He had never directly mentioned it again after they lost her to Surtur anyway, but Thor suspected it ate at him all the same.

"He was right, you know," Thor murmured. "We could've been a family, the three of us."

Hela huffed. "As if I would want that."

"You did," Thor reminded her. "If only for a moment, you almost took his hand."

"Yes, and I died for that lapse in judgement, didn't I?" Hela snapped.

"I'm sorry," Thor said sincerely. "If I had known…"

She waved a hand, cutting him off. "My price is that you take our father to Valhalla and leave him there."

Nebula tilted her head. "Wouldn't you want to keep him here?"

"He accepts the punishments," Hela muttered. "It's no fun."

"You can't just transplant souls like that," Valkyrie protested.

"And you aren't supposed to visit Valhalla, either," Thor pointed out sharply, casting a warning glare at her. "We'll take him, sister."

Hela gestured to her soldiers, and they let Thor through. He hurried inside and knelt in front of his father, taking his shoulder as he looked him over. "Are you all right?"

Father just touched the scar beside Thor's artificial eye with a trembling finger. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Thor forced a smile. "I know. Come on, let's get you out of here."

He pulled Father to his feet, and Nebula helped him down from the cage. Valkyrie glanced at Odin, visibly swallowing down any comment she might've made and turning her ire on the guards. Thor hooked Stormbreaker into his belt and pulled Father's arm over his shoulders, looking to Hela.

She threw a pair of swords into the left wall. One disappeared in a shimmering ripple, the other lodging in the wall a few inches higher. "There's your passage, brother. I suggest you take it before I change my mind."

"How do we know we can trust her?" Valkyrie said.

"We don't," Nebula answered. "But I don't see much of a choice."

"She's right," Thor said firmly. "Go."

He followed them to the portal, bringing up the rear. Rocket tested it with one hesitant paw, and when that returned safely, he took the step, disappearing into Valhalla. Valkyrie followed, then Nebula. Thor helped Father through.

Before he could join the others, he paused. Taking a deep breath, he turned around, lifting his chin and meeting his sister's gaze.

"Loki saw something in you," he said. "A sort of kinship. And he was right. You, him, me – we're all intertwined, Hela. Odin taught you to conquer, taught you everything you needed to be the most powerful person in the universe. And when you turned, he learned.

"Because of your power, he controlled mine. Because of your bloodthirst, he banished me and imprisoned Loki. Because of your memory, he shunned Loki."

"Blaming your long-lost sister for your troubles, brother?" she asked, a warning gleaming in her eyes, in the hint of horns in her shadow on the ground.

"I'm saying that his bad parenting is something we all have in common," Thor corrected. "You and Loki especially. It turned the two of you against Asgard, into a life of villainy. But Loki came home, and he hoped you would do the same."

"And?" she said sharply.

"And I won't give up on what he started," Thor answered. "I may not have known you, and you murdered my friends and my army, but you're still my sister, just as he is my brother despite killing me and invading Earth. Now, no offense, I hope to never come back to this place, but I wish to offer you one more chance to come home, if only for a short while."

She chuckled darkly. "Do you really?"

Thor nodded. "We need an army to fight off Thanos's. As far as I can tell, you have one, and I know you love a good fight. If you want your share of the glory, your share of Asgard's admiration, join us."

Hela narrowed her eyes, conjuring a small throwing knife to twirl between her fingers. "What does that have to do with your family speech?"

Thor smiled broadly. "Why, you'll be fighting alongside your little brothers, of course! Who do you think I'll ask to lead Valhalla's forces?"

Hela hurled the knife at him.

He blasted it aside, darting through the passage before she could conjure another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I'm having feels about what Hela, Thor, and Loki could've been if she hadn't been banished


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After over a month, I present to you chapter 13! I promise it's worth the wait

Thor stepped into a flourishing garden, full of willows in orderly lines swaying in the breeze, and a rainbow of brightly colored flowers. There was a pond in the middle of it all, a pegasus fountain rising from its own center, the white marble statue rearing, majestic wings flung out in their full glory, the water spouting in a steady stream from its open mouth. The sun beat down on it all, comfortably warm after the ice of Hel, only a few puffs of cloud dotting the deep blue sky.

The others had taken Father to a bench, but none really seemed willing to actually watch over him. Nebula and Rocket drifted away uncomfortably, and when Valkyrie spotted Thor, she came marching over. "What took you so long?" she demanded, the barest hint of a wobble in her voice. "You were supposed to be right behind us! I thought- I-"

"I'm fine," he promised, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to ask her for help, that's all."

Abruptly, any concern for his safety disappeared from her expression.

_Here we go,_ Thor thought, steeling himself.

"What?" she hissed, shoving him away. "Asking how to get here, she was necessary. But- did you just ask her to come _back_?"

Thor stumbled back, raising his hands in peace. "We'll need all the help we can get, Valkyrie."

"Not from her!" Valkyrie snapped.

"She's my sister," Thor insisted. "In another life, I grew up with her. If he hadn't banished her, maybe Loki wouldn't have felt so alone!"

Valkyrie huffed. "So that's what this is."

Thor bristled. "So?"

"So, she's _not_ Loki. He's _dead_ , Thor. Asking that _monster_ for help won't bring him back!"

Thor clenched his fist, barely controlling the lightning sparking around it. "Loki was a monster, too. Hell, depending on who you ask, he always was – he's Jotun, remember? How many nightmares did you have about them as a little girl?"

"There's a difference, Thor."

"Loki didn't see one back on the Bridge."

Valkyrie stepped up to him, pointing at where the portal was. "That woman was raised to slaughter, and that's exactly what she did. Anyone and everyone that irritated her, dead."

"I did the same thing," Thor said. "A few years ago, I was an arrogant bloodthirsty prince. I tried to slaughter all of the Jotuns to protect Asgard. To make Father proud. And then Loki did the exact same thing for the exact same reasons. Maybe, deep down, the three of us really aren't so different."

"You are," Valkyrie said in a low voice. "You and Loki learned. She just came back and did the same damn thing."

"I learned because of Jane and Darcy and Erik," Thor countered. "Loki learned because of me. Hela didn't have anyone. What if she had?"

Rage still flashed in Valkyrie's eyes. "She doesn't care about anyone, Thor. Never did, never will."

Thor tipped his head towards Father. "She cared about him. She hesitated to kill Skurge. She reached for Loki's hand."

"She killed my sisters," Val pressed.

"She killed my friends!" Thor shot back. "Do you think I'm taking this lightly? I'm _not_. Gods know all the awful things she's done. She nearly killed Loki twice, she took my eye, she slaughtered my army. But we _need_ help, and if you can't count on family to give you a second chance, then what hope is left in the world?"

She spun on her heel, tossing a bitter "Some people don't deserve second chances" over her shoulder.

Thor hesitated at that. _What if she's right?_

"Thor?"

Hope and guilt flooded his heart in equal measure. Even knowing where he was, he hardly dared to believe his ears. Slowly, he turned around.

And there she was, just as he remembered. "Mother," he whispered, voice cracking.

She rushed towards him, cupping his cheeks. "You're not dead, are you?" she checked urgently.

"No! No," he reassured her, taking her wrists. "I'm just visiting."

She continued looking him over anyway, running a finger through his cropped hair and stopping it beside his artificial eye. "Hela."

"Partially," he said, nudging her hand down. "I… Why didn't you tell me?"

He hadn't meant to let that slip out, especially not sounding like a pouty child, but he would be lying if he said the thought had never occurred to him.

Mother smiled ruefully, letting her hand lower to take his. "I believe we need to- Odin?"

Thor looked over his shoulder to see Father limping towards them, tears shining in his eye. "Frigga."

She went to hug him, and he pulled her in for a long kiss. Thor looked away, clearing his throat, and when he finally glanced back, they had pulled apart, her fingers lingering in his hair and his tears on her cheek. "We'll talk soon, love," she murmured.

"Brunnhilde," she said, louder.

Valkyrie looked up sharply. "How did you-"

Mother smiled. "I know some women who would love to see you."

All confrontation fled from her stance, her eyes flying wide. "Where?"

Mother gestured. "The stables are over there. You'll likely find at least one of your sisters there. And please take my husband with you and find someone to take him to the palace."

Valkyrie nodded, throwing all hesitations about him to the wind as she took Father's arm and guided him away as fast as he could go. Thor watched them with a sigh. Until he noticed Nebula and Rocket beneath a fruit tree, straining for the juicy pink offerings dangling from the branches.

"Hey! Who said you two could pick those?"

"We're hungry," Rocket said, standing on Nebula's shoulders to reach a particularly fat one.

Mother chuckled, taking Thor's hand again. "They're allowed to eat, Thor. Come, we should talk."

"Don't go anywhere," Thor called to them. Nebula waved a dismissive hand.

"Interesting friends you have there," Mother commented, leading him away through the trees.

"They're new," Thor said, squeezing her hand. _I have nothing old._ "My question earlier…"

"Yes," she said, taking a deep breath. "I believe you've figured out by now that your father has an extensive habit of lying. He claimed he never lied to me, but when the Warriors Three arrived and told their death stories… I suppose some part of him was more loyal to his daughter than to me."

"His daughter," Thor echoed. "Not…?"

"Not mine – her own mother died in childbirth," she confirmed. "Stopping their conquests was my condition for marrying him. As you now know, Hela didn't take to that idea. She felt betrayed that he would choose me over her, and no matter what he said, she refused to see it any other way. He told me the Valkyries killed her."

"But why not tell me? Or Loki?"

Her rueful smile returned. "I did befriend her while Odin and I were courting. She was young, impressionable, sensitive – the murals – did you see those? Good. – they depicted a ruthless warrior, but behind closed doors, that's not who she was. I was rather looking forward to being her step-mother. She truly was like Loki, in a way. Sometimes I wonder…"

"So she can be saved?"

"Her pain was too fresh, too sharp back then. And now… I don't know what all those years of isolation would have done. Although, if anyone can save her from herself, I believe it would be you and your brother. Even attempting it is admirable, at least to me." Mother stopped suddenly, looking up at him, searching his expression. "Was Loki with you? Did he try to save her?"

"Yes and yes…" He furrowed his brows. "Shouldn't you know this?"

She tilted her head. "Why would I? I haven't seen Loki since the day I was killed."

Thor took an abrupt step back. "No. No, he should be here, I made _sure_ he died holding a weapon-"

" _Died_?" Mother repeated sharply. "Thor, where is your brother?"

"I- He should be _here_. Thanos… The Infinity Stones… L- He died in my arms, he- _he should be here_ , I was supposed to be able to see him again-"

"Shh," Mother soothed, sweeping him into a hug. "Shh, it's all right. Are you certain he's not in Hel?"

Thor clung to her. "Hela didn't know he was dead. He should be _here_."

Mother pulled back, just enough to meet his eyes. "Thor, if he's not here, and he's not in Hel… Thor, Loki isn't dead."

_Loki isn't dead._

_Loki's alive._

_Alive._

If she hadn't been holding him up, Thor's surge of hope would've driven him to his knees.

Mother pushed him backwards, helping him lean back against a tree. "Thor, tell me what happened."

Thor nodded, sucking in a gulp of air. "A Titan named Thanos. He got all of the Infinity Stones, and dissolved half the universe, including Loki. The others, they wanted to fight it from the start, but I didn't… I couldn't…"

"Hey, hey, calm down sweetheart," Mother soothed, cupping his face. "What do you need?"

_Right. Universe at stake. The others need you._

Thor closed his eyes, took a steadying breath. And another one. Gradually, his surging emotions calmed, surrendering to control. The calm returned strength to his limbs, allowing him to stand again, though he still gripped Mother's shoulders. When he opened his eyes, his tone still held a heated edge of urgency. "Valhalla's army – it didn't show up at Ragnarok. Can I use that loophole for a different war?"

Mother smirked. "Why, Thor, you know how I _love_ exploiting loopholes."

\-----

"Hey, Tony, can I talk to you?"

Tony looked up from the time machine to see Steve in the doorway to the lab. His arms were crossed defensively, nervously. Tony couldn't help glancing to Rhodey, but he already knew his answer, and Rhodey nodded to encourage it. "Yes," he answered, heading off to join Steve.

They found an empty room down the hallway, a bank of windows overlooking the ravaged battlefield. Above it, sun was beginning to peek through the clouds. Steve looked out for a moment, with that expression that said he was thinking about what angle to draw the view from, before he shook himself and turned back to Tony.

"I just want to say my bit, all right? You can take it or leave it, but just… listen. Please."

Tony shoved his hands into his pockets, forcing himself to look Steve in the eye. "Ok."

Steve nodded, pausing for a moment, choosing his words. "I truly am sorry. When I realized that the Winter Soldier killed your parents, I didn't know he was Bucky, and I had every intention of telling you. But then I saw Bucky on that road, and I… Everything was unraveling, everything I was just managing to put back together. And I suppose I always thought that, _if_ we ever found him, it certainly wouldn't be in such a charged situation. And our friendship – I didn't want to risk it. So I… I stayed quiet. And I gave Zemo the opening. And I went too far in the fight. And I've regretted it ever since."

"You did," Tony agreed quietly. "But I don't… I don't blame you. Not anymore. Because you're not the only one who went too far."

Steve looked up, hope glimmering in his eyes.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe telling me earlier would've helped me hold back. But in that situation, after seeing Rhodey gunned down, the break with Pep, having to fight you guys, Natasha turning, seeing everybody locked up on the Raft, and finally seeing that video… Maybe it wouldn't have helped. And regardless of what ifs, I wasn't stopping. If we hadn't had that split second of wondering if you were about to slice my head in half with your shield… God knows what would've happened. So I… I understand, Steve. I understand exactly where you were coming from. Hell, I probably would've done the same if it were Rhodey. And I'm sorry too. I really am."

Steve smiled, small but genuine, his arms loosening. "Maybe this thing isn't all bad after all."

Tony huffed a little laugh. "Maybe not."

"Especially if our next trip succeeds."

"We should get back to that."

Steve nodded, gesturing for Tony to lead the way. He started off that way, slipping out the door first, but they quickly fell into step side-by-side. There was still an awkwardness in the air – apologies given, yes, but such a fallout didn't heal quite so quickly. For anyone. But there was a familiar comfort settling over them, a strength that had been missing for two years.

As they reentered the lab, Rhodey and Natasha shared a smile. Everyone did, even people like Okoye and Hope who had barely known them.

"Mission time," Steve said, using his captain voice before the gossiping could start. "Clint, you reacted pretty badly, maybe you should stay-"

"No," Clint interrupted, going to stand by the machine. "This is my responsibility."

"And the trip should be gentler this time," Hope said. "Shuri, Tony, and I have tweaked it a little. And the return devices."

"I'm coming this time," Natasha said, gripping Clint's shoulder. "He's not handling this alone."

"You could forget," Tony murmured. "I wish I could."

"You don't think I've considered that?" Clint said, touching the pocket where he kept the picture of his family. "But who knows how him not dying could change my relationship with Wanda? I'm not losing that, especially if..." He cleared his throat. "And I won't forget my son's name. I can't forget, Tony."

Tony dipped his head, conceding the wisdom of his words. His point was valid – forgetting the moment Peter vanished in his arms, forgetting the moment Happy told him Pepper was both gone and pregnant… It was agonizing, but the moment they rematerialized would be all the sweeter for it.

Tony put his hand in place, and a few moments later, they stood in Sokovia.

Clint straightened up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Natasha rubbing his back. "After today, I am _never_ using that machine again."

Tony chuckled, looking around. This part of the city was quiet, and they were still on the ground. Night ruled the sky, but dawn was lighting the horizon. "We got here before the fight."

"We must be evacuating people right now," Steve said. "And we've already cleared this part."

"Vision should be near the church," Clint said. "He was keeping people away from Ultron while waiting for Tony's signal. And Wanda should be in the northwest section of the city – don't go near her, or her mind control will get you."

"Clint," Tony asked, "how many times have you reviewed the footage of this battle?"

"Enough," he said grimly.

Before anyone could follow up on that, he was moving, slipping into the shadows and heading for the center of the city. They followed his lead, copying his path as closely as they could, Natasha bringing up the rear. They raced time, watching as the sun climbed higher and the sky grew lighter. If they took too long-

The ground quaked beneath them. Tony lost his balance, saved from falling only by Steve's quick reflexes. The tattered buildings shook, loose bricks and other debris beginning to rain down upon them. Tony summoned his armor, reluctantly keeping it a dull grey, creating a shield and lifting it over their heads.

They were close enough to the action now to hear Ultron's voice echoing throughout the city, promising death and destruction for all of humanity. "We missed our window, didn't we?" Tony whispered.

"Yeah," Clint confirmed, flexing his fist in frustration. "The next time we can catch him is after he whacks the metal nutjob with Mjolnir."

"More time for the Titans to show up," Steve muttered.

"Why haven't they?" Natasha asked. She sounded nervous – or, at least as nervous as Black Widow could sound, anyway. Wary. Wary was a better word.

"In New York, they waited until we had the Tesseract," Clint answered. "We haven't reached Vision yet."

Tony furrowed his brows. "It's not like we're _taking_ him, though. Is this enough to make them show up?"

"Maybe we should take him," Steve suggested. "Rather than counting on him being able to remember our warning."

"He's an A.I., he'll remember," Tony stated. "Besides, we can't remove him from the timeline, not now. We can't remove the Mind Stone from _any_ point in the timeline, actually, not without the twins losing their powers, or Vision never being born, which would cancel out every time they saved our lives with the powers the Mind Stone granted them. And if Thanos knows that, knows we can't do more than warn him… maybe we'll get lucky."

"When do we _ever_ get lucky?" Steve sighed.

The question hung in the air, unanswered.

"We should move," Natasha eventually decided. Tony realized the shaking had died down, and he retracted the shield and armor. They moved off again, and Tony had to fight the urge to shoot the bots he could see flashing by. Much as he wanted to save even a few extra civilians, they couldn't risk the attention.

Finally, the ruined church came into view. Just as Ultron hurtled out of it, crashing through building after building to land in a heap far, far away.

"Wish I could've done that," Clint muttered.

They moved around the church, hiding as best they could as Vision praised Mjolnir's balance. Thor tried to brush it off with logic, but pride brimmed in his voice, and for a heartbeat Tony almost hesitated, suddenly hit by the weight of the sheer amount of loss to come for them all. _The universe couldn't even let him keep his hammer. Or Steve his shield. Except… that, I can fix._

Finally, Thor flew away, leaving Vision alone to guard the core. Clint nodded, and Tony stepped inside. "Mute your comms, Vision."

Vision whirled around, blinking in confusion. "Mr. Stark? You are out of- …uniform. You are not our Tony Stark, are you? At least, not 2015's Tony Stark."

"My temporal signature gave me away, didn't it?"

Vision nodded.

Tony shrugged. "Makes this easier, at least."

Vision tilted his head. "Makes what simpler?"

"In three years, Earth will be attacked," Steve said, stepping up to Tony's side. Vision took in his tattered uniform with only a blink, having the same reaction to Natasha's pale blonde hair. "Specifically, you will, in Scotland. We're here to warn you of that."

"But by warning me, I will obviously not go to Scotland. Or I will delay it in an attempt to avoid the attack, and your intel will be useless."

"You will go on time," Natasha stated, "because it's not your idea to meet there, and you won't tell anyone about this conversation."

Vision mulled that over. "Logical. Might I have more information?"

"It'll be April, at nighttime in Edinburgh, and you'll be with Wanda," Steve elaborated. "There will be two aliens, both armed with spears. Don't get stabbed by the male alien's spear – that will disrupt your phasing abilities, and when they go for the Mind Stone, that'll be rendered useless too. And you're going to need those to fight off the real threat. And after that, you need to go _straight_ to Wakanda. No stopover at the compound."

"Keep this secret, evade the attack in Edinburgh, then depart promptly for Wakanda," Vision recounted. "Understood, Captain."

"Good luck," Tony said, his voice dipping just enough to prompt a wide-eyed look from Vision. But he asked for no more details about a future he already knew too much about, letting them leave without another word. Tony glanced back to see the return of a long-haired Thor, Wanda and Pietro greeting each other with concerned touches, Natasha and Hulk rolling up together.

_If only it had all lasted._

Knowing their counterparts were occupied by the core, they could move more carelessly through the city. But it had been ravaged by the battle and takeoff, streets destroyed and blocked by massive chunks of debris. Getting over and around it all took time, precious time, and Tony could _feel_ Clint's desperation growing.

By the time they reached the edge of the city, past Clint was already reaching for the boy.

In the distance, the gunfire started.

They would never reach past Clint in time.

Tony started to form a shield, time travel rules be damned – he _couldn't_ come here only to fail. He couldn't watch the kid die, not when he could do something about it.

Clint started to run past him, straight into Ultron's path, but Natasha and Steve grabbed him. He struggled a bit, but there was nothing to be done. Pietro would turn in mere moments, he would notice past Clint too late-

The idea crossed all of their minds at the same moment. "Yell!" Tony, Steve, and Natasha hissed. "Yell now!"

Clint lifted his hands, cupping his mouth, bellowing, "PIETRO!"

He spun around, spotting past Clint with the boy in his arms as past Clint spotted the quinjet, both men's eyes going wide.

Past Steve and Thor half-fell, half-dove out of the way as Ultron barreled by, throwing up the shield and Mjolnir respectively to protect themselves.

Pietro took off in a blur.

Ultron blasted his way by, the gunfire sending dust and chunks of pavement flying.

They waited with bated breath for the cloud to clear.

When it did, past Clint was handing the boy to Pietro. A few thin lines of red sliced along the speedster's side, but it didn't seem to bother him as he disappeared, reappearing on the lifeboat by the boy's mother. She reached for her son, pressing a desperate kiss first to his head, then to Pietro's chin. Safely behind the truck, past Clint ran a hand through his hair, waving off Steve and Thor's concern.

Clint let out a relieved laugh, and Natasha swept him into a hug, which he fiercely returned. "You did it," she whispered.

Tony grinned, looking at Steve, who shared the jovial expression. "Today," Tony said. "Today, we get lucky."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT SINCE APRIL 30, 2015, I MEAN SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH JOY WRITING THAT LAST BIT GAVE ME (the irony is that it took half the MCU dying to finally resurrect one character)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is well over double my usual length, but I think it'll go back to short/regular length starting next chapter, so enjoy this while it lasts! Even though I have hesitations about this one - honestly, it's been done for days and I've been staring at it - but I cannot figure out why...

Back in Shuri's lab, they met a group of hopeful faces. Tony looked around the room, triumph fading and heart rapidly sinking as he noticed two missing faces. Their faces fell as he asked, "Where's Vision?"

Rhodey sank into a chair. "He remembered your warning, told us all after the fact, but he took a massive hit shielding Wanda. And he made you guys come here without going to the compound – Wong had to give me and Bruce a ride – but Shuri didn't have enough time. She was _this close_ , but… It wasn't enough."

Hope scrubbed a hand over her face. "I guess you guys weren't sent back to warn him about that version, were you?"

Steve shook his head, shoulders slumping. "We went back to make that version happen. Just… not that way."

"We knew this could happen," Shuri murmured, leaning against Okoye. "Interfering with time… it rarely goes according to plan."

Clint pushed past Tony. "Where's Pietro?"

Bruce furrowed his brows. "Probably just running off his nerves. Why?"

Natasha rested a hand on Clint's shoulder. "We just needed to know he's all right."

A breeze blasted through the room, fluttering the sand on the sand tables. Shuri sneezed, shooting a glare at the pale-haired speedster now standing in front of Clint. "It doesn't matter – what about Vision?"

Clint froze for a heartbeat, drinking in the sight of the young man before him. His hair was still the familiar wavy mess, but he didn't hold himself with the arrogance Tony remembered, nor was there a challenge glinting in his eyes. He was just looking to Clint, searching for the answer he needed.

And instead of a plain running shirt, he now wore a proper suit – a long-sleeved, deep blue top, a white lightning bolt slashing across his torso from shoulder to hip. Its tip touched a silver belt, the small pockets along it the only non-aerodynamic thing about the suit. Below it, his pants faded to black, covered in delicate, swirling, pale blue lines.

Clint threw his arms around him. "Oh, thank _god_."

Pietro blinked, urgency giving way to confusion as he awkwardly gave Clint's back a pat. "Uh… Clint? You good?"

"You died in the timeline we just came from," Tony explained.

Pietro wriggled out of Clint's grip. "But I'm invincible."

"Not against Ultron's bullets, you weren't," Clint said, giving Pietro's suit a poke. "What is this, Kevlar?"

Pietro shrugged, pulling a protein bar from one of his belt's pockets. "I never paid attention when Stark was telling us about our suits. All I know is it mostly absorbs the force of any blow."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

Natasha pointed at the bar. "For your metabolism?"

Pietro nodded, taking a bite. "Clint's always yelling at me for eating mid-battle. Right before dragging me out to eat to recover. It's annoy- Wait, I died in _Sokovia_?"

Clint latched onto the first two sentences. "So we're still close? You, me, and Wanda?"

"Of course," Pietro said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "How did I die? I don't remember a point where I would have…"

"When you were pushing him and the kid behind the truck," Natasha answered. "We went back to save you."

"Technically, I did- Wait, what's my youngest kid's middle name?"

"Uh… Bartholomew. Why- Hold on, did you name your _kid_ after me?"

"Oh yes, yes he did," Tony said.

Comprehension dawned in Pietro's eyes. Quickly followed by glee. "Oh, this is _perfect_. I can't wait to tell Wa-"

Reality returned like a punch to the gut, knocking all joy and humor out of the room. He crossed his arms tightly, looking down and clearing his throat, but his dangling bangs didn't quite hide the tears shimmering faintly in his eyes. "But it didn't work, did it."

A statement, not a question. Because if it had, the twins would be together again, together at long last.

Instead, they had brought him back, only to find him alone.

Clint reached out, hesitantly resting his hand on Pietro's arm, but the twinless twin shrugged him off, turning away. And no one quite knew what to say after that.

Luckily, a familiar rainbow out the window distracted them. They all turned to the door, hoping Thor would have better news.

He burst through the door, the other three panting a moment behind. Thor skidded to a halt, and Valkyrie narrowly avoided smacking into his back, though Nebula did whack into her. Tony stumbled back a step, wondering if he should be summoning his armor. Then he realized the shine in Thor's eyes was ecstasy, not fear.

"They're alive."

Tony's heart skipped a beat. He glanced back, meeting Rhodey's eyes as he bolted to his feet.

Pietro zipped to the front of the crowd, looking up to the god. "You know this?"

Thor nodded, a grin flickering across his face. "Loki's in neither Hel nor Valhalla – he's alive. And if he's alive…"

"Then so are the others," Shuri finished. Flanking her, Nakia and Okoye took hold of her hands, hope daring to spark in their eyes.

Scott held tight to his keepsake. "At the rate we're going, though, we'll never get them back. Thanos will attack us if we grab a Stone, and warning Vision didn't work at all. Well, I guess part of that mission did, but still."

Thor looked to Tony. "It's time to fight," he said, voice low, throbbing with urgent need.

That same need suddenly crashed over the room, but with it came a crushing weight. The weight of half the universe. The weight of the worlds of every person in this room. Half of Asgard's suddenly fragile population. Wong and Steve's best friends. Shuri, Pietro, Nebula, and Thor's siblings. Tony's soulmate, Tony and Scott's kids. Clint and Rocket's entire families. If they died in this fight, if they failed…

This wasn't a decision any of them could make alone.

"I agree," Tony said at Rhodey's nod, looking around. "Anyone else?"

Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye exchanged glances, and Shuri nodded. Then Bruce; Rocket and Nebula; Hope and Scott; Clint, Natasha, and Pietro; Wong.

Tony looked to Steve. "Are we agreed?"

A beat.

Then, slowly, Steve nodded.

"It's time to fight."

\-----

Loki limped forward between Sif and Gamora, his arms looped around their shoulders. Wanda led the way, the two teens bringing up the rear. It was slow going now, with the Stone doing its best to hide the portal's location from them. They had to stop frequently to let both magic-users rest.

"Here," Sif said, helping ease him to the ground. Loki leaned back against the tree, clutching a fistful of leather and biting back a moan. She smiled reassuringly, giving his shoulder a squeeze before going to talk with Gamora.

Wanda sat beside him, hitting the ground with a painful _thud_. He gave a sympathetic wince, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder. She bent over, elbows leaning on her knees, face buried in her hands, her hair falling around her like a fiery curtain. "Ow."

"Let me," Loki said, brushing her hair behind her ear to get to her forehead.

She leaned away, catching his wrist. "You have your own pain to deal with."

"And we won't get anywhere if you can't concentrate," Loki pointed out.

She conceded the point with a nod. He slipped into her mind, searching amidst the memories for a trail of scarlet. Finding it, he followed it, adding his own strength to hers. It pooled in a misty orange map of the Soul Stone, dotted by golden doors. But one golden dot, the closest dot, was different, shining brighter, and appearing to dart around erratically. Closing his eyes, Loki focused on it, feeling the brush of Wanda's strength as she did the same.

It moved with blinding speed, like trying to keep track of your card as the so-called magician shuffled the deck with expert skill. His own head started to ache. Switching tactics, he instead searched for the epicenter of its movements, looking for the spot it constantly crossed or circled. "There," he whispered as he found it, lighting it up for Wanda to lock onto.

"Loki, are you doing that?"

His eyes blinked open, readjusting to the physical world. As he did, he noticed a swath of orange mist billowing in a nonexistent breeze. It settled slowly, the swath stretching into the distance, revealing a green-and-scarlet path. Aiming straight for the spot he and Wanda had found.

Loki looked down at his hands, but no magic sparked around them; Wanda's were equally inactive. He looked back up, tilting his head. "Perhaps it's the Soul Stone, helping us like it did with the bilgesnipe."

Gamora crossed her arms. "This is… a suspiciously blatant way of helping us."

"So was making the bilgesnipe just disappear."

"My spider-sense doesn't like this either," Peter said, tapping the path with the tip of one foot. "Something's gotta be waiting for us at the end of this."

"Agreed," Sif said. She hesitated, glancing at Loki. "If you two aren't leaving, perhaps it's best for you to turn back now."

To his surprise, Loki found himself hesitating to agree.

Gamora decided for them. "We leave no one behind," she stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. She hauled him to his feet, and he didn't fight it, wrapping his arm tightly around her shoulders.

Before they even made it five steps, Wanda collapsed with a cry of pain.

Loki turned to her, just before a new memory flashed through his own mind.

_He hacked his way through Outrider after Outrider, panting beneath the Wakandan sun. He had all but lost track of the others, focusing on keeping himself alive and killing as many enemies as he could._

_In his hands, Carita buzzed a warning. He turned, hair and cape flying, to see an Outrider barely a foot away, slavering jaws headed straight for his throat._

_A pale blur slammed it aside._

_The blur materialized into a man, swiping Outrider drool off his cheek. Loki blinked, mind still braced for imminent death, and at his hesitation, the man smirked. "What, you didn't see that coming?"_

_Before Loki could blink a second time, he was gone._

He slammed back to the present, blinking away the second memory of himself nudging the man aside to try his hand at convincing Wanda to kill Vision, his gaze darting to Wanda. "Pietro?"

She was huddled on her knees, one hand planted on the ground, the other buried in her hair. Her chest was heaving, her eyes wide and shimmering with tears. "They brought him back," she breathed, as if she hardly dared to believe her new memories. "Somehow, they saved him."

Peter knelt beside her, but she surged to her feet. "We have to go," she said, even her words seeming to stumble over each other in her haste. "My brother- I can't do to him what happened to me- I need to go-"

"Hey, hey, calm down," Gamora soothed, letting Sif take her place under Loki's arm.

"You hesitated," she murmured into his ear.

He shot her a glare, but his heart wasn't in it. Because she was right – he _had_ hesitated. And now, watching Wanda dump her paradise to run back to her brother without a second thought… _Thor would've done the same in her place._

Wanda suddenly stopped, turning to Loki, guilt flickering in her wide eyes. "I'm sorry…"

_And can you really be happy when you know your brother is out there, alone and grieving?_

_I am Groot._

_Paradise doesn't exist, Loki. Only illusions and reality. And I pick reality every time._

_If they're in here, then we'll save them. And if they're out there, they're waiting for you._

_Because good things are waiting for you, I can promise you that. It's certainly not going to feel like it, but believe me, being back at the new and improved Thor's side will make everything worth it._

_A fact would've sounded something like 'Human lifespans are pathetic compared to Asgardian ones.' Admit it, you care._

_Get some sleep, Spider._

_You told Peter you were scared, you cried in Wanda's arms, you forgave Gamora for the torture. You've worked with us, joked with us, protected us. Maybe we don't actually care if you fight once we leave, although I do miss fighting beside you. We don't just need you to come with us, Loki – we_ want _you to._

Loki shook his head. "I know. I… I know."

He had been in Thanos's clutches three times. And three times, he had lost. Violently. Brutally. Painfully. The idea of a fourth… Terror thrilled through him, his imagination shying away from the possible punishments if he was caught. Hiding in here, with a Thor and a mother and a wife… It was tempting. It was easy.

But easy had let Thanos corrupt him. Easy had let him "die" in Thor's arms, leaving his brother heartbroken. Easy had banished Odin. Easy had left him effectively alone for four long, long years. Easy had banished Sif, dooming her to never see Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, or Heimdall again.

Easy would leave Thor without a brother. Easy would leave Gamora, Sif, Wanda, Peter, and Groot to fight without him. And maybe they could survive that, but Loki would never know. He would hide in paradise for all eternity, while they fought and suffered and maybe died to fix a problem he had helped cause from the moment he gave up the Tesseract.

No. It was time to the take the hard path.

Everyone looked at him, hope sparking in their eyes, but he just looked at Sif. "Some illusions _are_ good. Just not this one."

She smiled solemnly.

Gamora heard the shift in his tone, and she understood the decision he'd just made, in the way only she and Nebula really could. She stepped towards him, laying her hand over his. "We're here."

Not "We'll protect you." That was a fool's promise. But "We're here" – that he could agree to.

So he managed a half-smile, letting his fingers squeeze hers for a heartbeat. "I know."

_I should've said goodbye._

\-----

Tony returned to Wakanda through the portal Wong made, holding a folded suit and a familiar symbol he had picked up from the compound. "Steve," he called across the bustling courtyard, holding the objects out where he could see. Steve came jogging over, eyes widening as he recognized what Tony was holding.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I've never been more sure of anything, Cap."

Steve picked up the suit, sliding the shield onto his arm. It settled there as if it had never left, shining in all its patriotic glory. He smiled, running a finger around the edge. "Thank you, Tony."

Tony smiled back. "Suit up."

He jogged off to do just that. Pietro filled in his absence, zipping to a halt. "So… Wanda thinks I've been dead for three years?"

"She doesn't _think_ it, she lived it," Tony corrected. He tilted his head, thinking. "Although we don't know which memories the dissolved will have. Maybe she got lucky, and she doesn't remember those three years."

Pietro rested his hand over one of his belt's pockets. "I hope so."

Tony looked at the pockets, resisting the urge to poke them. "What's in them? They don't really match the sleek speedster aesthetic."

Pietro shrugged. "Food, mostly. And they weren't there at first – you added them the first time I collapsed. And without Doctor Banner, it took you a few tries to design the protein bars I needed. Which, I suppose it wasn't you, technically, but- thank you for sending T'Challa the recipe for those… after."

Tony smiled. "I wouldn't let you starve, Pietro." He nodded to the pocket his hand still lingered over. "What about that one?"

He paused, then opened it, reaching in with gentle fingers. He pulled out two photos, handing them to Tony. One was old, faded and tattered – him and Wanda as little kids, with an adult couple Tony assumed to be their parents. The second had definite wear, but far less of it – it was of the twins with Clint and his family, with Lila perched on Pietro's shoulders, laughing. "I'm her favorite uncle."

Tony chuckled, handing them back. "I can imagine."

Pietro spun around as the door to the palace opened. Steve came jogging back out, shield on his back, wearing the new, more durable uniform Tony had finished designing even after their split. Its colors were brighter than the ragged Nomad suit, and he ran a couple fingers through his beard, as if itching to shave it off.

"Does this mean we're ready?" Pietro demanded.

"Someone's impatient," Clint teased.

"You try being able to move faster than everybody else but still having to _wait_ for them all the time."

"That's fair," Tony said.

Steve nodded. "Yes, that's what it means."

Thor stepped up, looking around at the assembled heroes. "I'm taking us to Titan. He wasn't there earlier, but it's as good a place to start as any."

Tony tried to hide his swallow, but Rhodey clapped a hand over his shoulder. "I won't let you die in space, Tones."

Tony smiled wryly, summoning everything but a helmet.

Okoye stepped forward. "I can still come. So can our warriors."

Steve shook his head. "You and your people sacrificed more than enough trying to protect Vision – you're needed here."

"Believe me," Thor said, "you don't want to risk losing more."

"Perhaps you are correct – we cannot lose more of our army. But." She double-tapped the blunt end of her spear against the ground. On cue, the rest of the Dora Milaje came out of the palace, coming to attention behind their leader. "Believe me," she shot back, "we will fight for our king."

"And I would be honored to fight alongside you," Valkyrie said, shooting Thor a look. He conceded to her, dipping his head to the Dora Milaje. Okoye nodded sharply, and with that, Thor called the Bifrost.

Tony stepped not onto dust and ruins, but a flowering field beneath a shining sun.

In front of him stood an army. An army of towering Titans.

Led by a smirking, Gauntleted Thanos.

"Stark. I wondered when you would return," he drawled. Wounds tracked along his left arm, which was held stiffly at his side. _His triumph wounded him._

_Good._

Thanos gestured to Thor, flanked on one side by Nebula, Rocket, and Valkyrie. "I let them believe this place remained in ruins. If you really were going to attempt to live up to your team name, I wanted a true fight, so I could wipe out your threat once and for all."

"So you admit we're a threat?" Tony challenged, crossing his arms and lifting his chin.

Thanos shrugged. "I admit that you believe you are."

"And we have good reason to believe it." Natasha nodded to Stormbreaker. "Remember that sinking into your chest? That was quite the scream."

Thanos hesitated, barely a beat, quickly covered by a mask of anger and then indifference, but the fear was there. "Regardless, I have six Infinity Stones and an army. And you have… twenty, give or take?"

Tony laughed. "You really think we came here alone? Come on, Thanos – if you _really_ knew me, you would know I'm not that stupid."

Thanos narrowed his eyes. Tony signaled to Thor.

He lifted Stormbreaker, lightning crackling around the axe, his eyes glowing dangerously.

The Bifrost crashed down to his right, on the edge of the group.

At first, only five people stepped out, all clad in armor. A man with golden eyes; a man with perfectly styled blond hair; a rotund fellow with an axe; a grim man with a lethal flail. And at their head, going to stand to the right of and slightly in front of Thor, was a woman in silver-and-blue armor, a sword in one hand and emerald magic twirling around the other – and based on the way she held herself, she could only be one person.

She lifted her chin, her eyes glinting like steel, her voice carrying across the field in a wave of authority. "My name is Frigga, Queen of Valhalla. You killed my son. Prepare to die."

Thanos set his jaw, lifting his fist into the air.

When the sun glinted off the glowing Stones, his army charged forward with a roar.

Thor sent a pulse of lightning up the Bifrost. Immediately, hoards of long-dead einherjar burst forth. Above them, pegasi streamed out, following a blonde riding the largest steed. One pegasus was riderless; it touched down just long enough for Valkyrie to mount in one fluid motion, and she took to the air, surging forward alongside her sisters.

Tony shared a glance with Rhodey. "For Peter and Pepper."

"For Peter and Pepper," Rhodey echoed.

Helmets snapping shut, they leapt into the air.

\-----

Loki leaned on Gamora, staring up. The forest was behind them, and all around, the land was flat and empty. Except, of course, for the place where the portal was. No, that was atop a tower of dirt, like someone had stolen a cylinder of land from a cliff face and dropped it there specifically to make it just that little bit harder to reach freedom.

Wanda came back from the other side, shaking her head. "The portal is definitely up there, and the only way up is to climb."

"Rock climbing," Loki muttered. "It _had_ to be rock climbing."

"Can either of you levitate?" Gamora asked.

Neither of them even had to try – they just shook their heads. "The power blocking our magic is only getting stronger. I doubt either of us could even lift a stone."

"I am Groot?"

Gamora shook her head. "You can't grow that tall and stay stable, Groot. Even you will have to take this in steps."

"No, but he could give Mr. Loki a boost," Peter said, placing his hand against the wall. "I can climb this, and once he's close enough to the top, I can pull him up with my webs."

Loki balked at the idea of essentially being carried. "I can climb."

"Loki-" Wanda started.

"I've seen other Asgardians do it," Sif cut in. "He's strong enough."

Loki shot her a grateful glance. Until she went on. "But I want Peter right next to you, in case you slip. He's the only one who can catch you safely."

Part of him wanted to protest, but the compromise was enough of a miracle. Plus, the pointed stare she was giving him was enough to stop even Thanos in his tracks. "All right," he agreed reluctantly.

Reluctance written across her face, Gamora helped him to the wall. Finding a pair of secure handholds, he hauled himself up, jamming his uninjured foot into the first foothold he found. Pain shot through his broken leg as it bumped against the rocks, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. Sif was right beside him.

Once the others realized he wasn't going to cave to the first plan, they followed. Peter hovered, close enough that Loki had to resist the urge to snap at him, but at least he wasn't being too much of a chatterbox. And he was actually rather helpful in those few moments when the dirt crumbled beneath Loki's fingers.

In the distance, something roared.

Gamora stiffened, glancing across the misty orange landscape. "Another bilgesnipe?"

Sif shook her head. "Their roars don't sound like that."

"No," Peter murmured slowly. "That sounded like…"

A shadowy shape started to coalesce. It stalked forward on two legs, a pair of arms hanging in the air, tipped by wicked claws. A massive sail arched across its back, flushing bright red and vivid blue. Its long, thin jaws gaped in another roar, beady black eyes shining as it locked onto them.

"Spinosaurus," Peter breathed, half awed, half terrified.

"I am Groot?"

"Extinct Earth reptile that _will_ eat us," Wanda said quickly, climbing faster. "Climb now!"

"Actually, they primarily ate fish-"

"I don't think the Infinity Stone cares. Climb!" Loki finally snapped.

The ground rumbled beneath its heavy footsteps, the dinosaur picking up speed as it neared them. _Of course Midgard has massive reptiles that want to eat us inside an Infinity Stone._ Loki tried to pick up speed, clenching his jaw against whimpers as his leg banged again and again against the rocks. Carita slipped from her hilt, trying to help, but all she could do was gently prod him. Which was not helpful.

Suddenly, from all around, came a cacophony of roars.

"I am _Groot_."

"Groot!" Gamora scolded. "Language!"

"Under the circumstances, I would give him a break," Loki said.

Gamora shot Loki a look, coming up on his right to tap Peter's foot to get him to move aside. "Peter, get to the top, we're using your web plan. _Go_."

He nodded, leaping forward to swarm up the cliff face. Loki pulled himself up, heart lurching as the loose dirt slipped beneath his fingers. Now flanking him, Gamora and Sif each clapped a hand over his wrists, holding him until he found new handholds. "Thank you," he gasped.

"We're not going anywhere," Sif promised.

Gamora looked at Wanda and Groot, who were hesitating a few yards above. "You two are. Go!"

They didn't move until Loki nodded, remembering at the last second not to wave them off. He pulled himself up another couple feet, glancing at the Spinosaurus. "We're too high up, aren't we?"

Below them, the first Spinosaurus roared, reaching the base of the cliff, its buddies not far behind. Stretching up, it sank its claws into the cliff.

And started to climb. Its clumsy attempts gouged out massive chunks of dirt, its wild movements shaking the cliff. As first a second, then a third, then more joined it, the destabliziation only worsened. Loki clung tighter to the wall, straining to go faster. Sif moved a little below him, reaching for her sword for when it got too near.

"Ok, _that_ should not be possible," Peter called. He had reached the top, and was turning to look down at them.

"And what, exactly, about _any_ of this, was already possible?" Loki grunted.

"That's fair."

"Webs!" Sif ordered.

Peter leaned over the edge, snapping his arm out. A white strand of webbing shot out. Loki leaned his head back, letting it hit his chest. Gamora gave the strand a sharp yank, and it held firm. Taking a breath, Loki let go of the cliff, grabbing the web instead. Peter nodded, and without further warning, Loki shot upwards.

Peter grabbed him just before he hurtled over the edge, steadying him as best he could. Loki hit the grass with a groan, grabbing his leg in a feeble attempt to dull the pain. And still, the portal glowed too high above him, a swirling circle of golden light just out of reach. Unless, of course, he could jump. "I hate everything."

"I have a solution to that, actually," Peter said, starting to slip his hands underneath of Loki. "And, um, sorry in advance, Mr. Loki."

"Wait, Spider, what are you planning- _Spider_ -"

Peter picked Loki up. "This god empty," he said, pulling his arms back, preparing to throw him. "YEET!"

With a startled yelp, Loki flew into the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have indulged too much on the Pietro content, but whatevs, I waited nearly 3.5 years to be able to do that


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to get the entire final battle done before I posted any of it, so I do have a few more chapters already written and mostly edited. And when I did finish it I just sat there like. Actively writing or not, this fic has been my life since May. I'm gonna miss it. (I'm not done done, I still have at least 2 more chapters to write, but still, I already know I'll miss it)
> 
> Also I loved all of your reviews about the yeeting, I've had that joke planned since before I even started writing this fic, I'm so happy y'all loved it

Golden light exploded across Loki's vision, blinding him. Then he was falling to the ground, the light replaced by a rainbow of colors – blue sky, green grass, white flowers, purple bodies, maroon and gold armor. He hit the ground and immediately flipped onto his stomach, levering himself up on his elbows. Battle surged around him, a dizzying array of moving bodies and flashing armor, his ears slammed by the sounds of armor clashing, energy weapons firing, people yelling.

_It's already begun._

Movement caught his eye – a Titan, running straight for him. It lifted its rifle, taking aim. The weapon hummed as it powered up. Loki rolled, reaching to tear the bindings off his leg. The pain had vanished, his magic returning in a rush, and he leaped to his feet, ready to defend himself.

He never had to.

Emerald magic flashed past him, grabbing the rifle and yanking it from the Titan's hands. It swiveled around to point at the Titan's knee, going off before he could even reach for it. He screamed, collapsing onto the wounded joint, and a warrior darted past Loki, slashing her sword through the Titan's throat.

"Not my son," she hissed.

_No. It- it can't be._ But the word escaped him before he could stop it. "Mother?"

She whirled around, the rage of battle leaving her face at the sight of him, and it was _her_. She sheathed her sword and rushed forward, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Loki."

Hesitantly, Loki lifted his hands to return the hug. And once he started, he couldn't stop. Tightening his grip, he melted into her smaller frame as best he could, hiding his face in her hair and clutching her cape like his life depended on it, on her nearness. "I'm sorry," he rasped.

She pulled back, looking up at him with confusion. "For what, darling?"

He pushed the words past a lump in his throat. "For killing you."

Mother cupped his face in both hands, her tone turning insistent. "Listen to me, Loki. Kurse and Malekith killed me, _nobody else_ , least of all you. And it's a death I chose with pride, defending the woman Thor loves. Am I understood?"

He tried to pull away, shaking his head, lifting his hands to pry hers off, but she held fast, repeating firmly, "Am I _understood_?"

A ring of lightning encircled them, blasting away every Titan in the vicinity. A heartbeat later, Thor crashed down, lightning swirling all over him and Stormbreaker. "Mother, this is no time to- _Loki_?"

The lightning on his body died instantly, Stormbreaker clattering to the ground, and before he could blink, Loki was being crushed in another hug. "You're real," Thor realized hoarsely. "You're real, you're here, you're _alive_ -"

"And I can't breathe," Loki gasped, prying at Thor's arm.

He loosened his grip, backing off just enough to take hold of Loki's shoulders. Loki coughed, grabbing Thor's shoulder for support. Mother patted his back, and for a moment, the image was so disorientingly familiar that he had to look at Thor's eye and air and weapon and the entire Titan army to convince himself he hadn't traded the Soul Stone for Valhalla.

_The Soul Stone._

"The others," he remembered, pushing Thor aside and looking for the portal.

It was gone.

_Where is it? Where are they?_

"What others?" Thor asked, refusing to completely let go of him.

"The others- Get Stark, get Pietro, Clint, Rocket, Nebula-"

"Loki, what are you talking about?" Mother asked. Sharing her confusion, Thor lifted his hand to his ear anyway, repeating the names.

_If you were all eaten, I will kill you._

Golden light flared across the sky. And leaping out, barely managing to land on her feet, was Wanda. Loki hurried to steady her, relief washing over him. She looked at him just long enough to smile before she was whisked away – Pietro, scooping her into his arms.

She let out a half-laugh, half-sob, throwing her arms around him. "You're back," she said breathlessly, burying her face against his neck. "You're alive."

"So are you," he rasped, setting her back on her feet to hold her head, pressing a kiss to her hair. "So are you."

Clint came racing up, pulling both twins into a hug as the portal flashed once, twice, thrice, four times – Groot, Peter, Gamora, Sif. Thor thumped Sif's back, grinning, and she gave him a slug on the arm in return. And then they were hugging, laughing at her triumph over death as only warriors could. Behind Thor's back, Loki flashed a knowing smirk, remembering Sif's paradise, and she shot him a glare.

Rocket came running, leaping onto Groot's shoulders and wrapping his tail tightly around the teen. It was Gamora who pulled her disbelieving sister into a hug, the cyborg returning it first with shock, then desperation; Gamora freed one arm to pull Rocket and Groot in, making the reunion a group affair.

Stark came from the sky, helmet melting away the moment he landed, Rhodey a heartbeat behind him. They crushed Peter between them, and he returned the hug hard enough to make their armor squeal beneath the pressure. "I'm ok, Mr. Stark," he repeated, over and over again like a mantra, like he was trying to convince himself too.

As they reunited, each and every one of them hugging and holding on like there was no world beyond their reunions, Loki turned, looking out across the battle. He spotted Bruce in his massive suit of armor; caught the flash of spears of Okoye and her warriors; the old red, white, and blue shield bouncing from Titan to Titan; the orange sparks of Wong's magic. But mostly, what he saw was _familiar_ , familiar from childhood bedtime stories to his adult experiences, ranging from the golden armor to the battle tactics to the pegasi soaring overhead.

"Valhalla. You brought Valhalla to Titan."

Thor grinned. "We needed an army. I had one."

Loki crossed his arms. "Huh. I'm almost impressed, brother."

"Ah, _I_ had the army," Mother corrected. "I'm Valhalla's queen for the next millenia."

Loki furrowed his brows. "I thought you would have to be related by blood, not marriage."

"The dead get quite tired of ruling for all eternity, Loki, and will pass the job to any incoming royal."

He perked up. "So you're saying-"

"This is hardly the time to be discussing thrones, my boy."

Loki looked up at Heimdall, a grin finally breaking over his face. "It's always time to talk about usurping the throne, Heimdall."

Heimdall rolled his eyes. "Where did we go wrong, Frigga?"

She chuckled, clapping both of her sons' shoulders. "He has a point, Loki. What's the plan?"

Loki looked back at Gamora. "The plan," she said, drawing all attention to her, "is to kill Thanos."

"How? Even Stormbreaker wasn't enough in Wakanda. I have a Gauntlet now, but no Stones to put in it," Stark said.

Loki blinked. "You have a Gauntlet?"

Stark held up his left hand, letting the armor peel back to expose a chunk of gold and an empty socket. "We paid Eitri another visit," Thor explained.

Behind them, a group of Titans roared a battle cry. With a start, Loki noticed Thor's protective ring of lightning had died to let the others in, leaving them exposed. Loki whipped around, Mother and Wanda darting to his side while Thor, Rhodey, and Stark launched into the air. As they fired from above, the three sorcerers threw up a shield against the incoming fire.

The two expected colors of magic, scarlet and emerald, wove together in the shield.

But so did a third color.

Orange.

From Loki's hand.

He nearly dropped his section of the shield in shock, and the moment the Titans were dealt with, everyone spun to him, Mother snatching up his hands. He didn't fight her, staring at them in disbelief.

Only Sif and Gamora didn't look surprised. "The Soul Stone," Sif said. "You wondered how connected to it you were – here's your answer."

"It's using me to fight," Loki realized quietly. "It has been this whole time. Trapped in Thanos's Gauntlet, it can't fight him outright, but I had a free mind, so it let me command it. And now that I'm outside of the Gauntlet… It's given me its strength."

"Can it do that?" Stark asked curiously.

"It has a consciousness," Gamora answered. "That's why I'm not dead, even though I died before the snap. So, yes, it can choose a fighter."

"One day," Clint sighed. "One day, we'll fight something normal. No magic, no sentient glowing stones, just… guns and knives."

"Loki," Wanda said, thoughts coalescing in her eyes as she touched his palm. "The Mind Stone granted me my abilities, and in return, I can control it – or, at least I could when it… when Vision was alive. If the Soul Stone has now given you _your_ abilities, do you think…?"

"I can control it like you controlled the Mind Stone?" Loki finished, watching the orange light swirl around his fingers. "I… I don't know."

The portal flared again, golden and bright and much, much bigger than before. Loki spun to face it. "Were you expecting anybody else?" Rocket asked, paws tensing on his gun.

"No," Wanda said. "Unless… Pietro, move!"

The speedster grabbed Clint and rushed to stand behind them. The Soul Stone group lined up, keeping the rest behind them as they waited.

A roar echoed from within the portal.

" _Damn_ ," Sif hissed, unsheathing her sword.

"Wait," Loki said, holding his hand out. "I want to try something."

The portal shuddered, the Spinosaurus becoming visible within it. Struggling and roaring, it strained for freedom. After a moment, it won the battle, crashing to the ground on its massive feet. Straightening up, it let out a ferocious, extended roar, announcing its presence to the world.

"Is that a _dinosaur_?" Clint exclaimed.

From the portal, distant roars echoed.

"And there are _more_ on the way?"

"Well, at least Cap has someone his own age to hang out with now," Stark said.

Cautiously, Loki took a step towards it. Its head swung around, its gaze fixing on him. It bared its teeth in a low growl, slowly snaking its head forward, jaws gradually parting. Its breath rasped in its throat, rumbling, its stench billowing into Loki's face. Drool slid over its teeth, dripping to the ground drop by drop. Its claws twitched greedily, arms starting to reach for Loki.

Loki fixed his gaze on the creature, maintaining firm eye contact. He whispered a command: "Attack the Titans."

It froze hardly three feet from his face, blinking. Once. Twice. Loki activated his magic, letting it swirl around his hands, a single tendril reaching into the Spinosaurus's mind. Orange swirled in its eyes. It blinked once more.

It lifted its head, standing to its full height, and loosed another massive roar that shook the air.

As the others started to fall from the portal, Loki let the strand of magic grow, weaving from Spinosaurus to Spinosaurus. Orange glimmered to life in each of their eyes, each one echoing the first's intimidating roar as they accepted the command.

Joined by the rest of the pack, the first dove into the battle, teeth snapping and claws slashing at every Titan that came within reach.

"Hot _damn_ , Odinson," Valkyrie praised.

He glanced over as she landed beside them. Never – at least, never in the real world – had Loki seen her so content, hair in disarray, blood splattered across her face and chest, hands casually resting on her mount's mane. As the dinosaurs ran off, interest gleamed in her eyes.

Loki smirked, turning to Wanda. "I believe the answer is yes."

Wanda smiled, waving Stark over. "Then I have a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I love dinosaurs? Cause I love dinosaurs. Like, a lot. Also Lokyrie - I'm not gonna push it romantically in this fic, but yeah, couldn't resist that little nod at the end there.
> 
> Also, because I still haven't stopped screaming - LOKI AND WANDA ARE GETTING THEIR OWN SHOWS. MY TWO FAVES. THEIR OWN SHOWS. I'M. I FEEL LIKE A PROUD MOTHER.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You would think that me having this pre-written would lead to a consistent update schedule but apparently not, whoops

"Sounds simple enough," Tony said.

"Sure. Simple. That is totally my definition of simple," Rocket muttered, earning a sigh from Wanda.

"It… does have very few steps," Thor defended her.

Loki let out a little scoff.

Tony turned, sarcastic retort ready on his tongue, but it died the moment he saw Loki. There was a fondness in his eyes as he looked at Wanda, flashing her a small smile that made her straighten that little bit more. Thor still had his arm around Loki's shoulders, and Frigga had her arm looped through his, which Tony had expected, but also hovering around him was most of the Soul Stone squad. Most of whom he didn't know, but if he had gained Wanda's friendship, Wanda's trust…

_Maybe he is on our side._

"Simple or not, it's the best plan we've got," Tony decided. "So let's do it."

"Time to find a Titan," Wanda said, looking at her brother.

Pietro scooped her up and darted away, his call of "Keep up, old man!" echoing behind him.

Clint's fist clenched around his bow. "Tell me again why we wanted him back?"

"Because you're a big ole softie," Natasha said, clapping him on the back. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Tony said, holding up his palm. Nanites crawled into it, forming a handful of earpieces. "Give one of these to Wanda. The rest of you too."

"Come, the Warriors Three are this way," Heimdall said once Loki was wearing his, gesturing for the Asgardians to follow. Sif's face lit up, but Loki's fell. "It will work out, Loki. Come."

The other Asgardians started to dive back into battle, giving Loki no choice but to follow. He paused though, looking back at Peter. He pointed. "I always get my revenge, Spider."

Peter's chuckle was nervous, but mischief sparkled in his eyes. Tony arched an eyebrow, glancing between his kid and the trickster as he left. "What did you do?"

His smile grew. "Remember that time I told you that, in this world, it's either yeet or be yeeted? And you begged me to stop?"

"You _didn't_ , Peter."

He was positively beaming now, drawing himself up to his full height. "I was the yeeter, and Mr. Loki was the yeetee."

Rhodey burst out laughing, doubling over to lean on his knees. "That is the _best_ thing I've _ever_ heard, kid."

Peter's laugh was interrupted by a nearby explosion. Tony pulled him close, shielding him, and Rhodey swung around to shield them both. It ended quickly, but when Tony and Rhodey straightened up, Peter stayed bent over, clutching Tony hard enough to bend the suit. Tony glanced at Rhodey.

"You ok, kid?" Tony asked quietly, peeling back his armor to rest a hand on his hair.

Peter backed off abruptly, opening his mouth to respond. Then he stopped in his tracks and hesitated, eyes flickering to the side is if remembering something. Slowly, the words came out. "I… I'm scared of dying again."

Tony pulled him into another hug, tucking him underneath his chin. "Listen to me, kid: We all are, in one way or another. That just means you're _alive_. Ok? I'd be more terrified if you weren't scared of dying. Besides, I won't _let_ you die again."

"You couldn't stop it last time."

It just slipped out, Tony could tell, because Peter backed up immediately, stammering as he tried to take it back. But Tony just froze, suddenly overwhelmed by the memory.

_Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good._

_I- I don't know what's happening- make it stop-_

_You're all right._

_I don't wanna go. Please, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go-_

_I'm sorry, Tony. I'm sorry._

Rhodey grabbed both of them. " _Hey_. Tony, Pete didn't mean that, not like that. And while it's true, none of us could stop it, this time is _different_. This time, we're _all_ in one place, focusing our efforts on a single plan, and we're fighting harder than ever before. You know what that means? That means we'll _win_."

Tony swallowed, shoving aside the hopelessness and dread that had drowned him in those moments. He clapped Peter on the shoulder, as much to reassure himself as the kid. "Rhodey's right, kid – we've got a war to win. And we'll need your eyes."

Peter nodded, straightening up. "Ok. Ok, yeah, let's go."

Rhodey took off, Peter shooting out a web to latch onto his leg, and Tony followed them into the air. Rhodey went high, keeping Peter as safe as he could while staying in firing range, and Tony stayed low, ready to protect Peter, or catch him if the web got cut. Then he turned his gaze to the ground.

Thanos had started hiding almost the moment the battle started. His army, created from the Reality Stone, all looked nearly identical to him, right down to replica Gauntlets with a full set of Stones. And he was being smart, not using the real ones, only the same weapons as the rest of the army. So they had two ways to find him: One, Peter's enhanced eyesight, or two, someone dealing a heavy enough blow to what looked like a random Titan, only for it to be Thanos, forced to defend himself with the Stones.

Tony was banking on the former. With an army this size, the odds of the latter happening were pitiful. And they couldn't afford pitiful odds, not today, not with this.

They ducked and dodged around the Valkyries, Tony shooting at any Titan that thought to looked skyward. Rhodey led the way, zigzagging as much as he dared with Peter clinging to him. He was holding onto the web with all four limbs, studiously examining the army, the eyes on his mask growing and shrinking wildly, never settling for more than a heartbeat.

Finally, he pointed towards someone in the middle of the battle. "There!"

Tony flew close enough to grab Peter's web, freeing up Rhodey to dive. He cut a swath through the Titans, dropping his bombs almost right on top of their heads. They all either dove to the side, exploded, or both, most barely with time to even scream.

All but one.

One Titan was shielded by a dome of violet energy.

"Gamora," Tony said, "you're up."

\-----

Gamora whirled, hair flying, just in time to see a Titan send Groot flying. With a cry of rage, she raced forward. The Titan fired at her. She tucked into a roll. Springing up, she leapt into the air, slamming a foot into his chest. As he fell, she stabbed her sword down into his throat.

Pinning his body to the ground, she landed in a crouch on his chest. "Don't touch my teenager."

_"Gamora, you're up."_

She hopped to her feet, scanning the sky. There. Circling like a weird, shining trio of scavenger birds – that was her signal. "Are you all right, Groot?" she asked.

He nodded, already back to the fight, Rocket right beside him.

Gamora nodded back, turning to Nebula. She held out one sword from the pair Peter had gotten her. "Why do you have this?" Gamora asked.

"Doesn't matter," she answered. "Just take it."

"A trade," Gamora said, handing over one of her usual swords.

Nebula took it, and Gamora swore she saw a smile flicker faintly over her sister's face. "Destroy him."

"Gladly."

But as she sprinted forward, slashing at Titan legs as she went, doubt and fear surged in her heart. The last time she had faced him, he tricked her, and she lost. She lost, and she cried. She watched Mantis and Drax fall, watched Peter tear himself apart at her request. And when he captured her, she caved, and half the universe died for it.

_But this time is different. You know it is._

He came into view all too soon, and she decided to test the waters first.

Picking a pair of Titans battling together, she threw herself at the first. She sliced at the exposed back of his knee, making him collapse onto it. She dispatched him with a swift slice across the throat, then turned to see the second aiming for her. She dropped into a crouch, lifting her arms to shield herself, and screamed.

Thanos spun instantly, eyes flying wide as he spotted her. "Stop!" he yelled, removing the threat to her life in a wave of red.

Gamora let out a breath of relief, closing her eyes to prepare herself. _You can do this, Gamora. For Peter, for Mantis, for Drax, you can do this._

She tilted her head, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Daddy."

_Relax. Don't overdo it. Don't make him suspicious._

He sank onto one knee, reaching hesitantly to stroke her hair. "Little one," he breathed. "How…?"

Gamora smiled tightly, forcing herself to lean into his touch. _Don't lie. He'll see through it again._ "I escaped. It fought me, but I did it."

Thanos smiled. "Of course you did, little one. I trained you, after all."

"And you did it well," Gamora agreed.

He helped her to her feet, and she struggled not to shudder at the memory of being thrown off a cliff. Through the army behind him, she caught a glimpse of orange magic. Thanos started to turn, and she grabbed his wrist, looking up at him. "I'm sorry."

Thanos shook his head, stroking her hair. "You were mistaken, daughter. All that matters is that you have returned to me."

He pulled her into a hug, and she let him, shifting subtly to peer around him. A flash of scarlet took down a Titan, and Loki and Wanda stepped into view. Thor and Frigga were behind them, watching their backs. They planted their feet, lifting their hands, and after sharing a glance, nodded at Gamora.

She twisted around, grabbing his Gauntleted arm. Throwing all her strength into it, she hauled him around, aiming his fist at the two sorcerers. They lashed out, ropes of power springing from their palms. Loki latched onto the Soul Stone, Wanda onto the Mind Stone.

Digging their heels in, they tugged on their ropes.

Thanos simply closed his fist, sending a surge of energy back along their ropes to explode against their hands. They cried out in pain, flying backwards, leaving behind ruts where they skidded through the grass. Gamora started to run towards them, but Thanos grabbed her arm, clenching tight enough to bruise. Fear shivered down her spine.

"Or, at least, I wish that's all that mattered."

She spun, letting her fear turn to rage. "How?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "It's quite simple, really. I had the Reality Stone give the Mind Stone a little adjustment: I can now read minds."

_If he saw-_

_No. Don't think about it._

Thanos threw Gamora to the ground. Her head hit a rock, stars bursting across her vision. He closed his fist, still aiming at the downed sorcerers, now being helped upright by Frigga and Pietro. Blue light shimmered around Loki. He grabbed for his mother, and she for her son, but Thanos yanked him backwards, tearing him away from her.

In a heartbeat, he was back in Thanos's grip, prying at the purple fingers clamped around his throat.

"No!" Frigga yelled, charging forward, Thor right beside her. They flung a surge of magic and lightning at Thanos. He threw up a violet shield. Their power ricocheted, slamming into them instead.

Rage flashed through Loki's eyes. He kicked Thanos in the side, stabbing Carita into the crook of his elbow simultaneously. Thanos growled, throwing her off and hurling him into the ground. He hit it in a rush of escaping breath. His fingers twitched, but he couldn't do more than that, and his family was in no better shape.

Pietro sprinted forward, throwing his shoulder into the back of Thanos's knee. Clint fired an arrow, exploding the moment it sank into Thanos's shoulder. Wanda tried for the Mind Stone again, a strained scream of effort escaping her.

Thanos waved away the explosion's smoke, stumbling but not falling at Pietro's hit. Carita came careening back, but he grabbed her midair. "Sorcerers," he hissed.

He jerked his fist, abruptly severing Wanda's magical rope. She fell forward, and he kicked her chin, snapping her head back, and she crumpled. Pietro sprinted at him again, but Thanos swept Carita low, and suddenly he was on the ground, clutching his bleeding leg, Carita jutting out of it. Clint loosed a volley of arrows, but he blocked them with a shield, then blasted Clint aside.

Gamora struggled through it all, struggled to get her body to obey her commands. She just managed to lift a hand to her ear. "We need… we need help…"

It was Stark who answered, yelling over explosions. _"We're being overwhelmed out here, there are too damn many of them!"_

_"You have to hold him off, Gamora,"_ Rocket urged.

She groaned. "What do you think we're doing?"

_"Failing,"_ her sister answered bluntly.

"…Thanks."

Thanos stalked forward, looming over Loki. He pushed himself onto his elbows, trying to push himself away. The Space Stone glowed, and suddenly Loki was flat on the ground, struggling against blue bonds.

"Actually, I'm glad you survived to see this," he said. "'You will never be a god,' I believe you said. But I'm all-powerful and essentially omniscient, while you're injured and trapped beneath me… What does that prove?"

Loki stilled, one corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk. "That I get under your skin."

Thanos clenched his jaw, and Loki's bonds disappeared. Gamora saw no other change, but Loki's hands flew to his throat. His chest heaved, but the breath he sucked in rattled and rasped. His fingers clawed at nothing, scraping against his throat.

Frigga, Thor, and Wanda writhed too, gasping for air that wouldn't come.

Gamora shoved herself to her feet, unsheathing her sword. She charged with a battle cry, bringing it down on his arm, just above the Gauntlet.

It hit a violet shield, the blade shattering into a hundred pieces.

Thanos chuckled darkly, never once looking away from the choking victims. "Daughter, daughter, daughter. Did you really believe I would be so careless?"

_No,_ Gamora thought, looking at the dying in horror. _But I…_

"You hoped? Daughter, what have I told you about _hope_?"

"That it's no substitute for planning," she answered hollowly, looking at her broken sword.

"Good girl," he praised.

The useless hilt slipped from her fingers, and she felt its impact with the ground like an earthquake in her bones. "No," she whispered. _No I'm not._

Surrounded by the dying gasps of her friends, she knew exactly what she was.

_I'm a failure._


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So y'all enjoyed last week's cliffhanger, eh? :)

Gamora stumbled away from Thanos, falling to her knees beside Loki. He was gradually turning blue, red beginning to glow in his eyes. His chest still heaved, struggling, but the rest of him had gone still, legs folded up in a feeble attempt to hide. One hand was flat against his throat, the other curled limply beside it.

She picked up that one, bringing it to her lips. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He shook his head once, wincing. "Here."

His voice came out quiet and broken, and Gamora struggled to keep hers steady. "Yes," she murmured, brushing his hair from his face. "Yes, I'm here."

He looked sideways, but didn't turn his head more than a couple millimeters. "Mum."

Gamora looked on his behalf. Pietro and Clint had dragged themselves over to Wanda, and while Pietro tried to reassure her, a bleeding Clint struggled with Carita. Frigga and Thor were sprawled not far from them. Like Loki, Wanda and Frigga were both pressing a hand over their throats, and Frigga pressed her other hand over Thor's.

"You're trying to fight it," Gamora realized, seeing the spark of color beneath Wanda's hand. Loki nodded, barely a twitch of his head, then pointed towards his family again. "They're alive," she reassured him, glancing at them again. _For now._

Loki coughed pointedly, tapping her hand then pointing at his forehead. "Oh. Touch telepathy. Sorry."

Thor suddenly started struggling again, his wheezing regaining desperation. Gamora reacted on instinct, ready to run to him, only to freeze when she saw Frigga flicker. For a heartbeat, she turned translucent, Thor's hand starting to fall through her. She resolidified almost immediately, but Gamora suddenly realized why Loki had asked about her instead of his brother.

_She's already dead. Thor, Loki, if they die here, they'll go to the same afterlife. If their mother dies here…_

_She'll be worse than dead. And they'll never see her again._

She looked back at Loki, at the panic flashing in his eyes. _How do I stop that?_

"Leave them, little one," Thanos urged. "They will be gone soon."

"Oh, shut up," Gamora muttered. A smile flickered across Loki's face.

Until she was yanked backwards and spun around to face him. "What was that?" he asked, voice low as he grabbed her arm.

_You stop it by being brave._

The voice slid into her head, quiet and steady and familiar. Gamora's gaze flickered to the side, meeting Wanda's eyes. _Be brave for us. For your sister. Be brave for_ yourself _._

_I'm not a failure. I can salvage this. I can save them._

Gamora set her jaw, looking Thanos straight in the eye. "I told you to shut up."

His grip tightened to bruising force. "Such insolence will be punished, little one."

"I'm already _being_ punished," she snapped, gesturing sharply at the people on the ground. "They're my _friends_ , and two of them are dying because _I_ said we could win."

Thanos chuckled darkly. "That was a foolish thing to say."

Gamora ripped her arm free of him. "Maybe. But I'm not the one in the wrong here."

Thanos crossed his arms. "Do explain, daughter."

"You say you want to save the universe. You say you want to be fair, and random, and you call it balance, you call it _mercy_. And yet, here you are, causing pain and suffering and threatening to throw off the balance _you_ created. So tell me, Thanos, how is _any_ of that _right_?"

He actually took a step back, blinking slowly. The Space Stone dimmed, and the dying sucked in massive gasps of air. Loki flipped onto his stomach and dragged himself to his family, both brothers moving to check on their mother as she tried to wave them off and take care of them. Wanda hugged her brother tight, and all Clint could do was hug them both, Carita still embedded in Pietro's leg.

"You are right, little one," Thanos murmured, contemplating the Gauntlet. "I have done my deed. To kill further would ruin that precious balance."

Gamora nodded slowly. "Spare them."

"I will spare the Asgardians," he conceded. "But Lackey and the witch… the snap took them. Killing them would _restore_ the balance."

Before she could move, the Space Stone flared again. He flung Frigga and Thor out over the battle, blasted Pietro and Clint aside. Wanda and Loki lifted their hands, magic surging in their palms. But blue wrapped around their necks, clenching tight, and they were choking again.

"And this time," Thanos promised direly, "there will be no neck left to heal."

"No!" Gamora shrieked.

She unsheathed her second sword, the one Peter gave her, the one she _rarely_ risked. His words, his words in her language, shimmered in the sunlight, calling to her, but this time, she didn't pause to read them. She just swung it down in one last, desperate chance.

She missed.

Because he had lurched to the side, falling to his knees with a cry of pain.

A twisted black blade, like nothing Gamora had ever seen, protruded from his scarred left arm.

Gamora spun, her gaze landing on a woman lowering her hand, a black crown of antlers atop her head. Behind her lurked a massive black wolf, lips peeled back in snarl. "What's the phrase?" she mused. "Ah, yes."

She jerked her hands out, two more of the blades appearing in her grip. "Only _I_ am allowed to kill my brothers."

\-----

Thor felt the tug of telekinesis a heartbeat before he went flying. Already holding his mother, he grabbed for Loki, but his brother slipped from his grip, already clawing at his throat again. Then he was hurtling through the air, and all he could do was clutch Mother close, trusting her magic to cushion them when they fell.

They never did.

A shadow swept over them, and a hand closed around his wrist. Thor opened his eyes to see Valkyrie, her pegasus's wing just above them. Below them, her blonde sister soared, looking up at them with piercing blue eyes. "Thanks," Thor gasped, his voice raspy from the strangling.

"Just get on a pegasus," Valkyrie grunted.

Thor helped Mother swing up behind Valkyrie, then dropped to settle in behind the blonde. "I'm Hildr," she introduced herself.

"Thor."

"I gathered."

"It's nice to finally meet you."

"And you," she replied. She paused, glancing up at Valkyrie. "If I might make a request?"

"Of course."

"She won't let you take care of her, but… when I'm gone again, look after her?"

"You have my word."

Hildr nodded once, then refocused on the battle. They flew forward, headed back to Thanos. Thor leaned forward, peering past Hildr and her pegasus, trying to brace himself to see his brother's dead body again. Instead, what he saw filled him with hope.

Black portals began popping up all across the battlefield. Valhalla's beleaguered army was joined by a flood of zombie soldiers, falling upon the Titans with no mercy. Tony and Rhodey were able to blast free of the groups attacking them; the Dora Milaje regrouped, their numbers bolstered by a handful of Valkyries; the three Guardians regrouped, backed now by Hope and Scott; perhaps recognizing the zombies' armor, Sif, Heimdall, and the Warriors Three threw themselves into the battle with renewed vigor.

Thor's gaze latched onto Thanos. He still stood in the small clearing, but a single massive wolf had widened it. In front of him stood Hela, and gathered at his side were Loki, Gamora, Wanda, Pietro, and Clint. Every single one alive, if not standing.

Hildr aligned her pegasus to fly beside the group, sweeping into a low pass. "Go. We'll meet over there," she said, nodding at a copse of trees close to the edge of the battle.

Thor nodded, vaulting off, Mother doing the same. They landed a few paces from the group, bypassing the others to get to Loki. There were bruises darkening around his neck, and thin scratches up and down his throat from his own fingernails. His Asgardian coloring had returned though, which Thor hoped was some sort of comfort to him. He knelt on one knee, closest to the tenuous shelter Fenris offered, as if torn between caving to his injuries and the need to keep fighting.

"You good?" Thor asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Loki nodded, holding his neck deliberately still, leaning into the embrace Mother offered. Rage flashed through Thor, but he squashed it down. "We have to go."

"Agreed," Clint said, trying to help both twins up. "And I'm fine too, bit banged up from being blasted by an Infinity Stone, but mostly fine, thanks for asking."

Thor laughed, giving Loki's shoulder another clap before going to help with Pietro. Carita was still in his leg. "How much will you bleed if we take her out?"

"A lot, which is exactly why she's been fighting Clint," Wanda answered. "Don't do it."

Pietro groaned. "I'm healing around it, Wanda, I don't _want_ to heal around the _knife_."

"Her name is Carita, and Loki can fix it once we're safe… er," Thor said. "For now, swallow your pride."

"What does that- _hey_!"

Thor scooped him up, careful not to jostle Carita. "Stay there, Pietro," Wanda ordered, leaning on Clint. Reluctantly, Pietro stilled. Loki smirked, probably just glad it wasn't him. Mother and Gamora hovered beside him, looking ready to catch him if he so much as wobbled.

"Hela!" Thor called. His sister was still staring down Thanos, neither person moving.

"You run away, little cowards. I'll stay here."

Thor rolled his eyes. " _Sister_."

She let out a frustrated groan. "Fine. Keep up."

Hela leapt astride Fenris, leaving them to follow in her wake. Thor summoned blasts of lightning, keeping the path clear, and though he braced for an attack from behind, Thanos never acted. He shook off his confusion, focusing on their own safety.

They reached the sheltered copse where Valkyrie, Hildr, and Hela waited, the three women in a tense standoff, pretending to ignore each other while keeping their swords out. Valkyrie's eyes flashed as she spotted Thor, but he took a moment to put off that conversation, carefully setting Pietro down.

Loki knelt beside him, positioning one hand against Pietro's leg, Carita between his thumb and forefinger, and taking hold of her handle with the other. "Ready?" he checked, voice low and raspy.

Pietro didn't have a chance to nod. Loki yanked her free. He screamed, his fist crushing his twin's hand. Blood spurted from the wound, but Loki covered it quickly, orange light flaring between his fingers. It was healed almost before Pietro's scream stopped.

There was still a tear in his pants, but the skin beneath was whole. "Thanks," Pietro said, poking it. Wanda slapped his hand away. Loki just backed off, coming to stand by Thor.

He blinked, pointing at his chest. "Is that my helmet?"

Thor glanced down, realizing it must've fallen loose during the battle. "Yes."

"Why is it tiny?"

"Ah. Reasons. I'll have Hope or Scott fix it for you."

"You better."

"If you're quite done…?" Hela interjected.

"Shut it," Valkyrie snapped.

"Hey," Thor rebuked. "She saved Loki's life. Right? That's what happened?"

Loki nodded, narrowing his eyes at Hela. "Convenient timing."

She shrugged. "A queen has to make a properly dramatic entrance."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Why are Asgardians like this."

"Your sorry hides would be dead without me," Hela retorted scathingly. "I believe you should be thanking me, at the very least."

"Would've been better if you had killed Thanos," Valkyrie pointed out sharply.

Hela scoffed. "Naïve little Valkyrie, you should know that that is beyond even my incredible talent for murder."

She clenched her fists, but Hildr placed a calming hand on her arm. "Your king requested her presence, Brunn. You must tolerate her."

Valkyrie fell silent, crossing her arms, her teeth grinding. Loki furrowed his brows, looking at Thor. "You invited her?"

Thor shrugged. "She had an army too. And… you tried, back on the Bridge. I wanted to honor that."

A faint smile flickered across Loki's face.

"Yes, yes, it's all very touching, but I would rather be murdering people. Why aren't I?"

"Because we need our strongest to kill Thanos," Wanda said. "But this time, we need a more coordinated attack."

"Did you not hear what I said, child? Even the Goddess of Death cannot murder a Titan protected by all six Infinity Stones."

"Uh, dumb human here, why is that?" Clint asked.

Hela visibly bit back a sigh. "Separately, only the Soul Stone has a conscience of sorts, and only the Mind Stone has intelligence. Once united, though, the six will form a single intelligence, and their main goals will be to protect the one who united them and do his bidding. With their combined powers, so long as he possesses all six, he cannot die. But take away even one, and they lose that intelligence, and it will be up to Thanos to consciously order the remainders to keep his heart beating no matter what."

"And we have a plan to take away two," Loki said.

"Uh, that failed. Epically," Clint reminded them.

"It failed because all of Thanos's attention was on the two of us," Wanda said. "And he can read minds now. But if he's distracted, if he has to use the Gauntlet to defend himself from attacks besides ours, then we stand a chance."

The explanation left Hela blinking. "You wish to try again a plan that just failed? That is _insanely_ moronic."

"You're not the only one to say that," Gamora said as Nebula echoed the sentiment over the comms. Thor huffed a laugh. "But it's all we have."

Hela sighed. "All right then. What's my role in this, oh wise mortals?"

"We'll need our strongest fighters to attack," Thor said. "Me, you, Mother. Pietro, your speed would be helpful. And a Hulk would be useful."

_"Yeah, that's not happening,"_ Bruce chimed in.

Valkyrie pressed a finger to her ear. "Bruce, get your ass over here."

_"…Based on your tone, I don't want to."_

"Do it!"

_"I'm coming, I'm coming!"_

"Brunn, you need to calm down," Hildr soothed.

"I'll calm down when she's gone," Valkyrie snapped, gesturing sharply at Hela. She smirked.

"Brunn, I had to deal with the aftermath of the massacre too-"

"No!" Valkyrie hissed, jerking away from Hildr. "No, _you_ died, _you_ took the sword that was meant for me, and _I_ had to live with that. _You_ got to stay with our sisters, Hildr, and I was _alone_. For longer than Thor's been alive, _I was alone_. Because of you. Because of _her_. So _you_ do not get to tell me how to feel about being forced to work with her."

"Valkyrie," Thor said. "Please-"

"No," she said, stalking forward until she was in his personal space. "You said I could tell you when you're acting like Odin. Well, _this_ -" She jabbed a finger at Hela. " _This_ is him. Making a unilateral decision to go with the _worst_ ally, _especially_ when you know someone you care about will despise it."

"I'm not an ally, Thanos just stole my future subjects," Hela said.

"Not helping," Loki said.

"I know."

"Valkyrie- Val," Thor said quietly, holding his hands out placatingly. "I know. But like I told you, she's my sister."

"That doesn't mean she deserves your help."

"No," Thor agreed. "But an old friend once told me it's not about what you deserve, it's about what you believe. And I believe in love. _Love_ , Valkyrie. _That's_ what we need to fight Thanos. Love is what unites us all – yes, even Hela, even if it's one-sided – and that unity is how we win. You know that."

Val narrowed her eyes, the fire in them burning hot enough to melt vibranium. "This had better work, Odinson. Because love is also how you lose."

She marched off to meet Bruce. Thor sucked in a breath, looking at his family. At Mother, offering up a proud, reassuring smile; at Loki, looking eerily like their secret sister, thoughts flickering in his eyes; at Hela, toying with her blade, leaning up against the wolf that hadn't stopped glaring at Thor.

_I hope this works too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year for my novel, so I'm trying to wrap this fic up before November, but if I don't, sorry in advance for the month-long hiatus


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh FFH finished filming today and that saddens me but I'm So ExCiTeD fOr ThE mOvIe

_But like I told you, she's my sister._

Loki crossed his arms, watching Hela out of the corner of his eye. She feigned disinterest, toying with her sword, running a hand through Fenris's fur, inspecting her nails, but Loki recognized the glint in her eye. The calculating wariness, waiting to be turned against, even as she stayed.

He wasn't used to seeing it, but he was used to feeling it. Waiting for the jokes about his cowardly sorcery. Waiting for someone to realize he was Jotun. Waiting for his friends and family to turn on him. And then watching it actually happen.

But still, he stayed. Still, he cared. Still, he could never bring himself to truly harm Thor or Odin or Sif or Heimdall or the Warriors Three. Because through it all, through all their blunders, all their shortcomings, all his rage and resentment, he knew they loved him.

And maybe, just maybe, between Loki's attempt on the Bridge and whatever Thor had said to make her come here, they were making Hela believe that about their own incredibly dysfunctional little family.

Hela caught him. "What are _you_ looking at?" she sneered.

Loki arched an eyebrow. "What, am I not allowed to keep an eye on someone who tried to kill me mere days ago?"

She snorted. "Please. If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead."

"So why aren't I?"

Hela narrowed her eyes. "Sneaky, little brother. Are you sure the oaf isn't the adopted one?"

"Believe me," Loki said drily, "there is no doubt. You can have your pick of reasons."

She huffed a wry laugh. "I know that tone. Such an amazing father, Odin was."

Loki chuckled. "Truly brilliant."

"Hey, stop bonding and pay attention," Gamora rebuked, lightly hitting Loki's arm. He flashed her a wounded look, then shifted his gaze to where Bruce was lumbering up.

Valkyrie crossed her arms. "Out of the suit."

He popped the helmet open, peering down. "Uh, Thor, do I want to?"

"No," Thor answered bluntly.

"Out. Of. The. Suit."

Visibly swallowing, Bruce hopped to the ground, suddenly looking tiny and soft amidst the warriors. "How exactly do you plan on getting him out…?"

Valkyrie grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him towards her. Bruce started to look green at that alone. "Listen, you big green baby," she hissed. "I am a very angry girl right now, and you are not helping."

Bruce's face rippled, his hands tinging green, and Hulk's head emerged. "Hulk no fight."

Valkyrie calmed, smoothing their wrinkled shirt. "Why not?"

Hulk shook his head, starting to retreat back into Bruce.

"Wait, wait!" Valkyrie said, cupping the back of his head. "Please, Hulk. Talk to me."

Hulk's head stayed, his lip wobbling. "Hulk… Hulk scared."

Valkyrie smiled softly. "We all are, big guy. Back on Sakaar, you had your wins handed to you on a silver platter of superheated veins."

Loki and Thor both rubbed the spots where their obedience disks had been, exchanging a glance. _Sorry,_ Thor mouthed.

"But out there," Valkyrie continued, pointing at the battling armies, "that's a _real_ fight. A real fight with real consequences, and you're not safe from those consequences. None of us are. And that's what being a warrior means, Hulk. Not flattening random prisoners in an arena, but risking everything to protect what you believe in."

Hulk hesitated.

"Come on, big guy, the rest of us will be right there if you fall again," Valkyrie pressed. "Fight beside me – beside us. We need you. Please."

He was wavering, Bruce's skin turning greener, his clothes starting to stretch. But Hulk's teeth were still clenched, still doing a bit to fight it.

So Valkyrie pressed one last time. "You'll be protecting us all. Me, Bruce, Thor, Loki – your friends, Hulk. Your friends need you to help stay safe."

Hulk surged upwards. Valkyrie stepped back, smiling proudly up at him, and he bared his teeth in a feral grin. "Hulk smash Thanos."

Her pride morphed into a smirk of her own. "Damn straight. Let's go!"

She leapt onto her pegasus, Hildr copying her, and the two Valkyries swept into the sky. Hulk roared and plunged into the fray, grabbing one Titan by the leg and using him to whack the others. Hela jumped onto Fenris's back, and with a roar of his own, he charged forward, jaws snapping shut around a Titan.

"That's our cue," Clint said, looking at Wanda. "You got this?"

"I should be asking you and your arrows that," she retorted playfully.

"Insolent young'un," he joked back. "All right, kid, Lila's birthday is next week and she's expecting you. Don't disappoint her."

Wanda smiled, leaning into Pietro as he kissed the top of her head. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Be strong, Wanda," he murmured. And then he and Clint were gone, leaving only a breeze behind.

"You too, Pietro," she whispered into it.

Mother squeezed Loki's hand, pulling him down to kiss his cheek. "Remember this, my little sorcerer: It takes fear to be brave."

Thor took a deep breath. "I know you don't think you're a hero, Loki. And maybe you're not."

"That's inspirational, brother."

Thor laughed. "Not yet, at least, not to yourself. But for whatever it's worth… Today, you are an Avenger."

Loki started. "I'm a… I'm a what?"

But Thor was already gone, taking off in a burst of lightning, storm clouds gathering above him, Mother racing into battle below him. Loki spun to watch them. And it was Wanda who answered him.

"He's right."

"Isn't the definition of being an Avenger being a hero?"

She shrugged. "The literal definition is to take vengeance on behalf of something. That's part of what I was doing the first time I fought with them – I made a grave mistake, and I joined the team to avenge those who were hurt and killed for it. And you're here to avenge what he did to you, aren't you?"

"Yes," Loki answered slowly. "Not… _only_ that. But largely that."

Wanda flashed him a knowing look, but she kept her original speech going. "To protect your brother? Protect us? Bring back your people?"

"…Maybe."

"I think that's where the hero part comes in, Loki," Gamora said. "You just have to realize that."

Loki looked down at his new magic. Orange. The color of the soul.

Sif had taught him the meanings of the colors when she taught him to paint. And every color he had ever chosen, or had ever chosen him, was negative. Green – ambition, greed, jealousy. Black – death, evil. Gold – power, Odin's power, everything sharp and hard and corrupting, everything he had conquered and slaughtered to get. Blue – depression, grief.

Until now. Orange. Darkened, it could mean deceit, distrust. Shaded red, it could mean domination, aggression. But left whole? It could mean determination, success, happiness. And its Infinity Stone represented the soul. Something pure, a source of light and hope, something powerful. Something worth defending.

_Green can mean life, growth. Black can mean elegance. Gold is wisdom, beauty. Blue is the sky, endless possibilities._

The Soul Stone had been lost, hidden for centuries. It had a dark side. And it had been controlled by Thanos. But it was still good, still doing what it could to protect the universe.

Loki looked up, across the battle, realization striking him. _That's why it chose me. Because we're alike._

Gamora tilted her head at him. "Are you all right, Loki?"

"Strange didn't give up," he said simply, stilling his magic. Gamora smiled.

Loki pointed at the battle. "Shouldn't you be fighting?"

"He won't expect us to use the same plan twice, so that's exactly what I am going to do," she answered. "Except this time, I won't just distract him with words."

She gave her sword a twirl, and Loki nodded approvingly. "Heroically moronic."

Gamora laughed, trailing a finger over the words etched into the blade. "I learned from the best."

In the distance, Hulk roared. "I think that's our cue."

"Ready?" Gamora asked.

Loki sucked in a breath, exhaling in a rush. "It takes fear to be brave."

"In that case, we must be the bravest people alive."

"Time to go, bravest people alive," Wanda said.

Gamora took the lead, hacking at Titan legs. Loki and Wanda followed, blasting them aside. They kept the bursts of magic low, trying to hide exactly who was approaching as they neared Thanos. There, the battle was raging – lightning flying, a rainbow of magic clashing, two behemoths punching.

Gamora slipped away, heading towards Thanos from the other side. Loki and Wanda crouched where they could watch, throwing up shields to hold off the other Titans. He felt Wanda slip into his mind, wrapping it in a bubble. _So he doesn't know we're here._

He nodded.

They waited.

Hulk charged Thanos, throwing a punch at his face. Thanos caught it with his bare hand. Pietro ran into the back of his knee. Hulk yanked his fist free. Clint fired an arrow, and the explosion knocked him down onto one knee. He tried to close his Gauntleted fist, but emerald magic appeared in his palm, holding his fingers open. He gritted his teeth, fingers shaking as he tried to push through it.

"Thanos!" Gamora yelled.

He whirled, forgetting his fist for a moment. She burst from the crowd, already swinging her sword. He tried to throw up the Gauntlet to block her, but Mother's magic extended around his arm, forcing him to use his bare arm. Successfully, Gamora plunged her sword into his flesh. Thor flung his hand out, and the sword acted like a lightning rod, pulling the electricity straight into the wound.

Thanos screamed.

As one, Loki and Wanda moved. They ran in, throwing ropes of magic at the Gauntlet. Loki's grabbed at the Soul Stone, tendrils wrapping around it. He dug his heels in, wrapping both hands around his end of the glowing orange rope, and hauled back with all his strength.

Thanos roared, finally breaking through Mother's magic. His fist closed. Heat sizzled through Loki's rope, burning his hands. Loki fought through the pain, even as a scream built in the back of his aching throat.

Fenris leaped into the fray, forcing Thanos to dodge his massive paw. Hela swung her hand down, hurling one blade into Thanos's shoulder and a second into his knee. He screamed, losing control for one precious second.

In that single second, Loki and Wanda threw their weight back, giving one last yank.

In a bicolored flash of orange and yellow, the Soul and Mind Stones broke free of the Gauntlet.

"Tony!"

Stark swooped down to land just behind Loki and Wanda, his armor peeling back to reveal his Gauntlet. Loki and Wanda grabbed the Stones with telekinesis, guiding them to the friendly Gauntlet. With a _clink_ and a _pop_ and another flash, they settled into place.

Stark grabbed his wrist with a scream.

_"Mr. Stark!"_ Peter cried over the comms.

_"Tones!"_

Loki and Wanda grabbed Stark, easing him to the ground. Thanos scoffed. "You can't hope to control that much power, Stark."

Stark's breaths came in ragged gasps. "Wrong," he rasped.

Thanos snapped his fist shut. A wave of violet burst forth, blasting back everyone but Loki, Wanda, and Stark. "Oh, I don't think so."

Tony lifted his eyes to glare at Thanos, his Gauntleted fist slowly clenching. When he spoke, his voice was low, vibrating with rage. "You killed my friends. You killed my fiancée. You killed my _kids_."

"As someone once told me," Loki said to Thanos, "you lack conviction. _We_ don't."

Thanos sneered.

Stark surged to his feet, shooting a stream of swirling orange and yellow at Thanos. Wanda shot out her scarlet, and when Loki fired, his normal emerald was mixing with the orange.

Thanos fired back, and his own stream was blue and green with streaks of red and violet. Their streams met in a violent explosion of color, nearly blinding Loki. A violet shield sparked to life, cutting the four of them off from the rest of the battle. "If you were counting on all three of you being as strong as an Infinity Stone or two, think again."

"We don't have to be."

Behind Thanos, Thor, Hela, and Mother fired at one spot on the shield, lightning and magic and black blades mingling. Rhodey landed beside them, firing his guns at the same spot. In a blur, Pietro dropped off Natasha and Clint, who fired bullets and arrows.

More came, joining Fenris and Pietro. Sif, Heimdall, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg. Rogers, a pair of shrinkers, Wong, Okoye and her warriors, Rocket, Groot. They guarded the others, fighting off the Titans trying to reach them, leaving them free to attack the shield.

Thanos hardly acknowledged them. "They can't break through the power of an Infinity Stone."

Loki leaned into his attack, feeling himself starting to slip backwards. Beside him, Stark and Wanda were already sweating, teeth gritted with the effort of keeping up their attacks. "Tell me he's not right," Stark muttered, just loud enough for Loki to hear.

"I wish I could."

"Well. That's cheerful."

"They'll do it," Wanda stated.

"How?"

"Because we're in here."

Loki nearly lost focus for a heartbeat, surprised to realize Thanos had sealed Gamora in with him. Then again, maybe he shouldn't have been – they were counting on her for that. Thanos's one true weakness. She had pulled her sword from his arm, his wound bleeding freely, his blood dripping from her blade. "You, Thanos, you already won – you have nothing to fight for. But those three? Those people out there? They _do_."

He huffed. "Silence, daughter."

Gamora stepped towards him. "You claim to know what love is, but do you know why I'm here? Why Loki is here, and Wanda, and the others we were with? Because you _don't_. Because you thought it was love, but the Soul Stone saw right through your dead heart, and it told us to fight. And do you know why we'll win?"

"You won't."

"Humor me."

"Fine. Why?"

"Because we're distracting you from the real threat. Because while you think you know our entire plan, you don't know the final piece, because through love, I never thought of it. And while you're focusing on everybody you perceive to be a real threat, you're going to die, all because of the one person I love that you never gave a damn about."

Confused, Thanos faltered. The three of them all pushed forward a step, making him stumble back one. The shield rippled.

Hulk slammed his fist straight into the center of the others' attacks. It rippled again, and a small hole tore open. Mother's magic slipped into it, grabbing the ragged edges and prying it apart. The others shifted their attacks, spreading them out to pull some of the Power Stone's strength away from the one spot. Loki glanced at Wanda, and she nodded. He broke off his attack, instead adding his magic to Mother's, helping her widen the hole.

"Loki," Stark grunted, voice strained, "you better hurry up."

"I'm sorry, would you like to fight an Infinity Stone?"

"I'm fighting three of them!"

"Trying to hog all the glory, are we?"

"Ok, listen up you little-"

"Shut up," Wanda snapped, her voice just as strained. Loki glanced at them, at the sweat rolling down their faces, their shaking arms. There were gouges in the ground where they had been pushed backwards. As Loki watched, they slid back another precious inch. And if they kept sliding, if Thanos was able to put more strength into the shield…

"You two have to focus."

"I _am_."

"This is a little new to me, Reindeer Games."

Loki bit back a sigh. _They're young, young and tired. What would Mother do? What did she say to me?_

He flashed back, back to the simple days, when he was little and everything was new and exciting and magic was a fun thing, not the only thing standing between him and death, because that was Mother's job. _Pick an emotion, little one. Pick an emotion, something so strong you feel it every day, and pour it into your magic. That will strengthen it, and steady you._

"All right. Both of you are Avengers, and you both lost your loved one to him. So avenge them."

"How does that help?"

"For every part of you that hurts right now, remember their touch. Remember the warmth you felt, how safe you were when they were beside you. Remember holding them, kissing them, remember their laugh, their smile. Now take that love, take everything he stole from you, and _throw it_. Throw it right back into his hideous face."

Wanda gritted her teeth. "For Viz."

Stark had been looking at him, watching him like he was a different person, but at Wanda's words, he turned all of his determination on Thanos. "For Pep."

And then they were moving. Slowly, inch by inch. They leaned into Thanos's attack, taking a step forward in unison. Thanos tried to shove back, but they planted their feet and took the blow. When they pushed forward another step, Thanos stumbled back one. And a second. And a third.

"Quaint," Thanos snarled.

"It works for them," Loki shot back. "But for me? Oh, no. You ruined my life, so I'm going to help end yours."

And just like he had coached them, he remembered. He remembered every knife cut, every burn, every broken bone. Every sob, every scream, every moment he broke and begged. He took all of it, all of the pain and rage and terror and darkness, and channeled it into his hands, into his magic. He steadied, strengthened, his familiar emerald overtaking the gifted orange, returning the Stone's strength to Stark.

He clenched his fists, pulling towards himself, tearing the hole wider. Slowly, it grew large enough to fit a person. When Thanos tried to close it, Gamora plunged her sword into his shoulder. Loki and Mother pushed the hole up, angling it above and behind Thanos's head.

Abruptly, some of the others outside broke off their attacks. They turned to clear a path, leaving the final player clear to sprint through it, leaping through the air.

With a battle cry born of a lifetime of abuse and rage, Nebula sailed through the hole.

Landing on Thanos's shoulders, she plunged Gamora's sword through Thanos's head.

His resistance vanished, leaving the attackers to fall forward, chins smacking against the ground. In a wave of red, the Titan army vanished, and the grass beneath their feet returned to dust and ruin. Nebula pulled her sword free, leaping from his shoulders to land beside Gamora.

Thanos exhaled, sounding like a gust of wind in the sudden silence.

With a resounding _thud_ , Thanos fell.

He didn't stir again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment. Was so. Satisfying. To write. So satisfying.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you need healing after the A4 trailer? Never fear! After well over a month, I've returned with it! Nearly 4k words of healing! Because who cares about canon!
> 
> (Translation: THAT TRAILER MESSED ME UP MAN I'M NOT READY FOR A4 AT FRICKIN ALL AND I'M ALREADY REREADING THIS FIC TO COPE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HANDLE 3 HOURS OF THAT)

Gamora stood frozen. She didn't dare believe it. She didn't dare move, she didn't dare blink, she didn't even dare to breathe. From the moment Thanos's soldiers had landed on her planet, from the moment he put that knife in her hands, he had controlled her life. Even after her escape, the knowledge he was out there haunted her, her deeds under his control following her.

And now he was dead. Felled by a simple blow lethal to any species.

Nebula dared to take a step forward. Gamora's trance broke and she moved, guarding her sister's back. Carefully, Nebula nudged Thanos's shoulder with her foot. When he didn't stir, she kicked him. And kicked him harder. And harder. And harder.

"Nebula!" Gamora cried, grabbing her shoulder. "Nebula, stop, please."

She punctuated every word with a kick. "He didn't suffer _enough_."

Gamora edged around to look her sister in the eye, but she didn't try to block the kicks. "That wasn't the goal, sister. If we tried to make him suffer, we would be just like him. But you know what we did do? We _killed_ him. _You_ killed him. And he died knowing we would undo everything he recruited and tortured and trained us to help him do. He died a _failure_."

Her breaths came in ragged gasps, tears in her eyes. "I hate him. But I- I don't know what I _am_ without him."

Gamora ducked her head, glancing at Rocket and Groot as they came up to the sisters. "On Knowhere, I thought I killed him. And for a moment… I cried. I _cried_. For _him_. And I hated myself for it. But the truth is, it's because he's part of us. A part we both despise, a part we both want to leave far, far behind us. And we couldn't really even start to move past that, because we both knew he would come for us one day.

"Neither of us knows what we really are without him, Nebula, because we can't. He stole that from us. But starting right now, right this moment, we can become more than what he made us. We can stop running, stop hiding, stop fighting. We can rest. We can go _home_. For the first time since we were kids, Nebula, we can do whatever we want. We don't have to be scared anymore."

Gamora cupped Nebula's cheek, brushing her thumb over the metal around Nebula's eye. "I don't know what I am without him either. What I do know, though, is that it's time for us to grow, Nebula. Together."

For the briefest, most precious moment, Nebula truly smiled. It was tiny, but it was there, and it warmed Gamora's heart more than she had ever thought possible.

Then a dinosaur roared.

\-----

Loki picked himself up, gingerly rubbing the dust off his aching chin. Thor and Mother steadied him, and he let himself lean on her, staring at Thanos's body. He touched his throat, and a drop of blood smeared on his fingertip. All those years of feeling Thanos's fist around his throat, both metaphorically and literally, were finally… over.

Thor wrapped his arm around Loki's shoulders. "You're finally free."

Loki let his magic filter through his throat, healing its aches and scratches. "Somehow, I don't believe the nightmares will understand that."

Thor scrubbed a hand over his face. "Take the win, Loki. For once in your life, don't try thinking ahead. Just take the win."

"He's right, darling," Mother said, brushing strands of hair from his face.

"You're the one who taught me to always think ahead, Mother."

"And sometimes," Heimdall said, coming up behind them, "it's best to just enjoy the moment."

Loki turned around, smiling warily at the sight of the others. They had accepted him easily mid-battle, but now… he didn't know. "It was fun."

Fandral smiled back. "It was good to fight alongside you again, Loki."

Volstagg clapped his shoulder enthusiastically. "It was good indeed, my friend. I've missed that."

"Thank you," Loki murmured. "And… I am sorry."

Hogun shook his head. "We turned on you as well. I often wondered – as did we all – what would have happened had we talked with you in your hour of need, rather than suspecting you so quickly."

"I still lied to you. And sent the Destroyer after you. And proceeded to lie some more."

"You sent the Destroyer after him," Fandral said, pointing at Thor. "We simply got in the way. And since when did you not lie to us, trickster?"

It was said in jest, and Loki chuckled. "That is true."

Hogun held out his hand. "Stay good, Loki."

Loki shook it. "That won't work for me, Hogun. Even before."

He stepped back with a shrug. "It was worth a try."

"Well, we'll be seeing you, then," Fandral said. "Hopefully in a few thousand years. So long, friends."

Thor smiled bittersweetly. "It was good to see you all once more."

Fandral gave them a quick salute, which Sif returned, and then Thor summoned the Bifrost, sending the three warriors back to Valhalla. Sif watched, her shoulders slumping just that tiniest bit, the Bifrost's light glinting off tears Loki knew she wouldn't shed until she had some privacy.

Mother lowered her head, reaching across Loki to take Thor's hand. "That would be our cue-"

A dinosaur roared.

Loki whirled around. With no more Titans to attack, their attention had returned to the assembled humanoids. Clint threw up his hands. "Oh, come _on_. This is just our luck. We kill the purple maniac, and now dinosaurs want to eat us. This is just. _Unbelievable_. Un-fu-"

_I'm still with you, Loki._

Loki's hand flew to his forehead, as if he could touch the voice echoing in his mind. Because it was familiar, heartbreakingly familiar, a voice he thought he would never hear again. "Carita?"

Gamora glanced back at him, forehead furrowing in confusion. "Loki, why are your eyes orange again?"

Loki looked at the Soul Stone, glowing brightly in Stark's Gauntlet, making the yellow Mind Stone shadowy in comparison. _The Soul Stone has a few more gifts to give, my beloved. New and old._

On instinct, Loki threw his hand up. "Disappear."

Just as the original Spinosaurus, burns streaking down its sides, was reaching for Okoye, it disappeared. In a wave of orange, so did the entire pack. She stepped back quickly, and upon noticing Loki's outstretched hand, gave him a nod of thanks.

"Wait," Stark said, "I thought you returned the Soul Stone's energy to me?"

"As did I," Loki said, lowering his hand. "But it doesn't appear to be done… helping me."

"That's right, my beloved."

Loki's head snapped up, eyes flying wide. He clutched Carita's hilt tightly, not daring to turn around. Because that was the same voice, the same voice he knew and loved and missed with all his heart, but it wasn't in his head. But she couldn't be real. She _couldn't_ be.

Except the others were turning. Some were aiming weapons, some only half-lifting them, the rest just confused. "Who the hell are you?" Stark demanded.

Gamora stepped forward, looking over Loki's shoulder. "Carita?"

"No, Carita is Loki's blade," Thor said slowly. "Right?"

"She was human first," Mother murmured, looking up at Loki.

Gently, a hand slid into Loki's. He couldn't resist glancing down, and even through the tears he was fighting, he recognized her. He recognized her slender fingers, her tender touch, the silver ring on her finger set with a single emerald. "You're an illusion, an extension of the Stone, like Gamora's mother was."

"I'm not," she promised in her lilting accent. Never letting go of his hand, she cupped his cheek, turning him towards her. Her hair was pulled back into an intricate design he had once done for her, and she looked up at him with her glowing eyes, the ones he had called his emerald stars. "I'm me, Loki."

"Prove it," he whispered.

She closed the distance between them, fitting against him perfectly. Rising onto her tiptoes, she slid her hand back, twining her fingers into his hair, and she guided him down. Her familiar lavender scent wove around them as their lips touched, warm and soft, and she tasted of the chocolate they had shared on their last night together.

His eyes drifted shut, his free hand sliding around her waist to rest on the small of her back. Her lips quirked against his, the corners twitching up into a brief smile. He broke away only to rest her forehead against hers, letting his eyes stay closed. "Carita," he breathed.

Her breath tickled his lips, thumb trailing along his cheekbone. "I'm here, love. I'm here."

\-----

Tony pointed at Loki and Carita. "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

But Thor was useless, gaping at his brother. Frigga patted his shoulder, exchanging a happy glance with Heimdall. Loki pulled back, keeping one arm around Carita's shoulders and putting a hand on his hip as he turned to Tony. "So I've been to Earth before New York. Problem?"

"Yes," Clint said. "Many, many, _many_ problems. Starting with how in the _hell_ you landed a human woman?"

"I think your brother would appreciate that explanation as well," Heimdall said, gesturing at Thor, whose jaw was still on the floor.

Loki sighed. "Asgard had secret passages, and several decades ago I found one that led to the forest outside of Carita's town. She found me, we spent time together, fell in love, and when she died, I became disenfranchised with your planet until I returned to conquer it. Are you sufficiently caught up now?"

"I'm more weirded out than anything," Clint muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You mean you were just hanging out on our planet? Doing nothing evil?"

"I haven't been doing evil things for even ten years, Barton."

"You have been stabbing me for 1,500 years," Thor reminded him.

" _Lightly_ stabbing, Thor, you always walked away. Mother would've stopped me otherwise."

Thor turned on his mother. "You never even _tried_ to stop him?"

"He would have only stabbed you harder, sweetheart."

"Which is so _not_ important right now, guys," Scott broke in. "My daughter is still… where were you exactly? I mean, is she dead, is she happy, is she…?"

"She's happy," Gamora promised. "She's somewhere between alive and dead, but she is happy."

"And you know this for sure?" Steve asked. "Everyone who's in there is happy?"

Peter nodded. "It put us all into our own paradises. I was with… with, uh…"

Loki took over, sparing Peter from remembering. "We were happy, with everyone we loved and no memories of anything painful from our real lives. Whoever you have in there, they're not suffering."

_Everyone we loved._

Tony wrapped his arm around Peter, holding him close, reassuring himself that he _could_ hold him close again. "May and MJ are waiting for you, kid," he promised quietly, kissing his hair. "And we'll get Ned back."

Peter nodded, leaning into the hug. He turned his face into Tony's shoulder, and he let the armor melt away, giving him something soft to hide in. Rhodey came up on his other side, laying a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"So how do we get them out?" Okoye asked. "One at a time, the same way you did?"

Sif shook her head. "There are trillions of souls in there, that would take a lifetime."

"It's as simple as a second snap," Heimdall told them. "The only question is, which one of you will do it?"

"It's my Gauntlet," Tony said.

"Tony, no, we barely agreed to this when you only wanted to use the Time Stone," Steve protested. "You can't handle all six. Look at what the snap did to Thanos's arm."

"Let me do it." Thor held his hand out. "Asgardians and Titans have comparable strength. I'll survive."

"Are you sure?" Gamora asked. "It wounded him. At best, you will be no better off."

Thor shrugged. "I can accept the risk."

"Thor…" Loki said with a hint of warning. But his eyes gave away his concern. Thor looked back, resting a hand on his shoulder, and for the first time, Tony didn't see a pair of princes, or a hero and a villain, or an Asgardian and a Frost Giant.

They were just brothers. Brothers who had been torn apart, and through the sheer power of losing everything and everyone else they'd ever had, they'd come back together. And now, as the warriors they knew filtered back into the Bifrost, Thor was volunteering to risk the only family Loki had left.

"Thor, you can't risk yourself like that, Asgard needs you," Tony pointed out. "Your brother needs you."

Loki glanced at him, but Thor was already shaking his head. "You have a fiancée, Tony, a pregnant one. You're one of the strongest men I know, but if the snap did that to Thanos, it could destroy you, and I refuse to risk that."

"He's right," Sif said. "No human could handle it. It has to be one of us."

"And as I will have to focus my energies on ruling a fractured kingdom from now on, I can afford a wounded arm," Thor said, holding his hand out again. "Please, Tony. I was too slow to kill him in Wakanda – let me fix this now."

"All right," Tony agreed, fully retracting his armor. "All right, you can do it."

He slid it off with a grimace, stumbling at the sudden exhaustion that hit him. Rhodey and Peter caught him, Thor reaching out to finish taking the Gauntlet. Pain flared in his arm and hand as he spotted the burns left behind, burns that matched the intricate markings on the Gauntlet. "I thought it felt really hot," he muttered.

"Loki can try to patch that up," Thor said.

Loki looked at Tony, a silent question, and after a moment's hesitation, Tony nodded. The magic that filtered around his arm was green and ice cold, slipping around his limb, fitting perfectly into the burns. After the initial sting, the pain all but disappeared, the burns darkening and then fading to pale red lines.

"That is the best I can do against a pair of Infinity Stones."

Tony flexed his fist – a dull pain, definitely there, but manageable. "I can work with this. Thank you, Loki."

_Those are not words I ever thought I would say._

A grin tugged at one corner of Loki's mouth for a second, the trickster evidently sharing the thought. Then their attention was on Thor, gritting his teeth as Loki and Wanda added the other four Stones to the Gauntlet. Loki and Frigga positioned themselves on either side of him, Sif and Valkyrie hovering nearby, ready for whatever happened.

Thor closed his eyes. "Bring the dissolved back to those they love."

His snap echoed through the sudden silence.

\-----

Gamora waited with bated breath.

Light flared from the Stones, twining up Thor's arm. He fell to his knees, saved from falling further only by his family. He clutched his wrist, panting, but he didn't take it off. And no one tried to make him. Just in case.

Gamora grabbed Nebula's hand, ignoring the fact that she didn't squeeze back. She just needed to hold onto someone. Just in case.

"Steve?"

Everyone spun to face the new voice. A cloud of dust spun like a miniature tornado, reassembling into a man with a metal arm. He patted himself, as if disbelieving he was whole, then looked up at the other man, brows furrowed in confusion.

Steve ran forward, sweeping him into a hug. When an equally confused man in a grey-and-red suit reformed next to them, he grabbed him too. "Sam! Oh, thank _God_."

A third cloud caught Gamora's eye, and this one formed a familiar shape. "Mantis!" she cried, hurrying to hug her, for once not caring if their bare skin touched. Mantis started to gasp a little, happy tears falling down her cheeks as she returned the hug.

"Guys?"

Gamora whirled to hug Drax, again not caring that he smelled like he hadn't showered in days. "What happened?" he asked, reaching for Mantis. Groot joined the hug, Rocket and Nebula standing by, both pretending they didn't have tears in their eyes.

"We'll explain later," Gamora said, going back to hugging Mantis. "I'm just glad you're alive."

"Gammy?"

Gamora sucked in a breath, torn between freezing and whipping around. She settled on turning slowly, keeping her eyes low. They landed on a pair of familiar old boots, traveling up to a leather jacket she had stolen on many occasions, and finally meeting the gentle green eyes that had been her home for four long, beautiful years.

He started raising his trembling hand, as if reaching for a ghost. "You… but Thanos said… Nebula said…"

She had told him, back at the beginning, to not expect much public physical affection from her. Not because she didn't love him – he meant more to her than she had ever thought possible – but because it had been drilled into her since childhood that showing affection marked your weaknesses. It was a tough habit to break, and not one she really wanted to break in front of some of their clients and most of their enemies.

But he was crying, and she was crying, and he had died, and she had died, and people or no people, she needed to hug him.

So she ran. She crossed the distance between them in two bounding steps and leapt into his arms. She hooked her legs around him and held tight, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "He threw me off a cliff," she whispered, not hiding the tremor in her voice. "And then he turned you to dust."

Peter sank to his knees, letting her sit on his lap. He held her tight, running a hand through her hair, and she could feel him shaking. "We're back," he whispered. "We're back, and we're together, and that's what matters."

"Do you remember anything?" she murmured.

"You mean like Yondu and my mom never dying? Going back to Earth years ago? Watching Missouri sunsets with you?"

"I'm sorry," Gamora breathed. "I'm sorry for pulling you away from that."

Peter leaned back, and she tilted her head up to see him furrowing his brows. "Gams, I was _dead_. Do I have new memories of my mother and Yondu that I wouldn't trade for anything? Yes. But they're gone. You're not. You and Mantis and Groot and all the others – you guys are who I'd rather be with. Besides, it's… it's me who should be apologizing."

Gamora shook her head. "You pulled the trigger, that's more than I ever should've asked of you-"

"Not just that," Peter interrupted, looking at the others with eyes full of guilt. "When Thanos told us you were dead, I… I snapped. I ruined the plan, I hurt Mantis, and I- I got half the universe killed, Gamora. Because I couldn't control myself for five damn seconds."

"That was always part of the plan, Star-Lord. The real plan."

Gamora and Peter looked up to see a man with a billowing red cloak beside them. He crouched to look Peter in the eye. "I saw 14,000,605 futures, Peter. In the ones where you did hold it together, we lost. That plan that I let all of you think we had on Titan? It was always doomed. Whether it was by you losing it, or Nebula not showing up, or Thanos killing your name twin over there, or millions of other things, it never prevented the snap. Nothing prevented the snap."

Peter opened and closed his mouth a few times. "You- you couldn't have told me that, Strange?"

Strange shook his head. "In the futures where I did tell all of you that our plan was doomed, we lost. It would change your behavior, which would change the outcome. None of you could know what had to happen."

"But-"

"Come on, Quill," Strange said. "How would you have taken it if I told you that you had to let Drax and Mantis die? How would Tony had taken it if I told him he had to let Peter die? How differently would you have fought if I told you Gamora was dead, or would you have been able to fight at all? It was hard enough for me to know that my cloak and I had to die, and leave our fate entirely in the hands of strangers who could've made the wrong decision at any point in time. I couldn't burden anyone else."

Peter blinked slowly. "So… this isn't my fault?"

"None of this is anyone's fault. Only Thanos is to blame."

Gamora smiled, kissing Peter's cheek. "Well, uh, thanks, I guess," he said. "I'll work on believing you later."

Gamora sighed, dropping her forehead onto his shoulder. "Mantis, come here and hug him."

Gleefully, the young empath obeyed.

\-----

Tony held Peter tight, grateful for Rhodey's steady strength beside him. Gamora was running to her family; Strange and Wong were hugging; Natasha was sliding in between the soldiers, taking her turn to welcome back Bucky and Sam. Fury and Hill rematerialized together, and Natasha broke from the soldiers to greet them.

Across the field, three little voices cried "Daddy!"

Scott and Clint were running before any kid even finished the second syllable. They both fell to their knees, skidding the last few feet to crash into their kids, wrapping them in hugs Tony was fairly certain would never end. Scott peppered his daughter's hair with kisses, Clint switching between kissing Cooper and Lila. Laura reached them, Nathaniel held in her arms, and Clint reached out to pull her close, kissing her fiercely. Hope and the twins joined their respective families, grinning.

"Come on," Tony muttered, watching each reforming cloud of dust. "Come on…"

"She'll be here, Tones. She'll be here."

Tony looked back at Rhodey, wishing he could share his confidence. Wishing only to know that his new scars were worth it, that the pain was over.

Peter saw her first, pointing at a spot a few yards away. She was wearing an old t-shirt and sweatpants, her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, but never, never in all the years of knowing her, had she ever looked more beautiful to Tony. He was running before she was entirely whole, and his hug was tight, the kiss he pressed to her lips long and tender.

"What happened?" Pepper breathed when he finally pulled back, searching his eyes before their surroundings. "Am I… Is this an alien planet?"

Tony nodded, cupping her cheeks, just… holding her. "I'll explain later, but all that matters is that you're alive. And…" Tony bit his lip. What if the snap or the time traveling had changed something? "Happy mentioned… a certain type of doctor's appointment…?"

Pepper remembered with a gasp, hand flying to her stomach. "The snap- what if it-"

She broke off abruptly, spinning around and doubling over to vomit. Tony winced, holding her hair and rubbing her back. "It's morning somewhere, I guess."

Pepper straightened, panting a little. "I wanted to tell you in a prettier way, but… You're going to be a dad, Tony."

Tony beamed, kissing her cheek. "Believe me, after the first way I found out… That was gorgeous."

She smiled softly, leaning against him as Rhodey and Peter joined them. "Let's go home. All of us."

**Author's Note:**

> I did not mean to end on that note but as I predicted, this fic is already stretching itself into more chapters than the outline had.


End file.
